Science News

How do we build a world that's less dependent on fossil fuels? One solution is right under your feet. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is a very boring name for a very awesome system that turns the Earth itself into a giant battery.

Enhanced geothermal systems are a new type of geothermal power than can be used where naturally occurring geothermal systems do not exist. With enhanced geothermal systems, an injection well is drilled into dry rock. Water is forced into the injection well, which widens the ground fractures below. This process is known as 'hydraulic stimulation'. Water travels through fractures in the rock and becomes hot. This water then travels up a production well. The steam from this water is then used to drive a turbine and thus produce electricity.

Two years ago, scientists released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system.

(AP) -- Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in Central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live...