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Cape Station, future home of an enhanced geothermal power plant, in Utah

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177 points mooreds | 2 comments | 06 Sep 25 20:26 UTC | HN request time: 0.409s | source
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filenox ◴[06 Sep 25 21:08 UTC] No.45152845[source]▶
Most wells at Cape Station are between 8,000 and 9,000 feet deep, and the deepest one extends a mind-blowing 15,000 feet below the surface. That is about the depth you'd get to if you stacked 50 Statues of Liberty on top of each other!

For those who prefer a less American-centric metric: 8,000–9,000 feet is approximately 2.5 kilometers. 15,000 feet is about 4.5 kilometers — roughly the height of 14 Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other!

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Animats ◴[06 Sep 25 21:17 UTC] No.45152918[source]▶
> 8,000–9,000 feet is approximately 2.5 kilometers.

The usual value for the geothermal gradient is 25 to 30 degrees C per kilometer. So at 2.5km, in most locations they might be able to get boiling water, but not superheated steam. Most of the geothermal enthusiasts are talking about needing to go down 4 to 12 kilometers. Is there something special about the geology at this site?

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1. jandrewrogers ◴[06 Sep 25 21:47 UTC] No.45153171[source]▶
The site is part of the largest high-quality geothermal basin in the world. It is larger than most countries, encompassing almost the entirety of Nevada and large parts of adjacent States. The geothermal potential of the region is enormous, even just using classic geothermal technology.

The US has long been the world's leading producer of geothermal power, mostly generated from this basin.

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2. toomuchtodo ◴[06 Sep 25 22:34 UTC] No.45153525[source]▶
Any resources on total energy potential in the basin you recommend?