Heerlen, a Dutch city, has come up with the world’s first minewater power station. The station is powered by geothermal energy accessed from deep coal mine shafts that hold naturally heated water. It is a local but dependable initiative for areas with coal mines, and provides a lasting source of sustainable energy. The coal mines will be contributing to decrease in emissions and the carbon capture system will essentially send back whatever carbon dioxide is released to be liquefied.
Geothermal power is energy derived from heat contained in the earth, deep under the ground. Current dependence on geothermal power consists of only 1% of the world’s energy supplies. Sources of geothermal power include volcanoes, geysers and hot springs, present on land and under water. The Yellowstone National Park of United States is famous not only for its wildlife but more than that for the geothermal features called ‘Old faithful’ – natural geysers, for which the park has been preserved.
The idea is practical and applicable, and should definitely be taken up in different areas across the world, with large coal mines. The objective, though, could backfire if the demand leads to digging up new mines just for harnessing free energy, instead of finding use for the old ones.
Source: Timesonline