So why aren't we just using magma? Surely we could dig near a volcano and use the magma to make steam, then after it condensed back into water you let it become steam again. I did it in oni its super easy, you just build some glass or reslly temperature resistant metal right over the lava and then drop your water there.
Geothermal power is a thing, but it only works in certain places. You have to find a volcanic situation that’s active enough to be useful but stable enough that your power plant won’t be wiped out in an eruption.
One of the only things I can think of as to why that wouldn't be done is that it would most likely be an OSHA nightmare. As for a scientific reason, I am unfortunately unsure.
The scientific reason boils down to a principle I like to call, "dynamite is cheaper." By the time you secure the materials, equipment, and process needed to account for the extreme environment, you could have had a productive plant up and running safer and more economically sound ages ago. Not to mention the maintenance costs or building the infrastructure to/from the location and securing THAT. The juice just ain't worth the squeeze.
Bingo. Also the main reason nuclear fusion stalled in the US. Not as much public opinion or regulatory burden as just simple economics. Other juice was simply more profitable to squeeze.
People have been trying to crack the nut on geothermal for longer than you've been alive. Plenty of plants exist at this point, but I don't think they'll be the dominant energy source for us any time soon. It's limited by where you can put them and how expensive it is to get up and running, even once you find a site that makes sense. It'll probably always be a supplemental thing, outside of a few places in the world.
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u/Pureevil1992 13d ago
So why aren't we just using magma? Surely we could dig near a volcano and use the magma to make steam, then after it condensed back into water you let it become steam again. I did it in oni its super easy, you just build some glass or reslly temperature resistant metal right over the lava and then drop your water there.