The Colorado Springs Gazette picks up the story of a Nathrop resident investigating the use of geothermal energy from a hot aquifer that runs beneath his property to drive a 10 Megawatt power plant. This isn’t the first time that the Arkansas River Valley has attempted to develop power systems based on heat from the earth. From the article:

“While the exploration in the 1970s focused on steam, Henderson is looking for heat. The technology is available today to use heat from the 180-degree water below the ground to power a turbine and then inject cooled water back underground.

Henderson estimates it could generate 10 megawatts or more, enough to power about 5,000 homes. The power would probably be sold to an electric cooperative, to help it meet the renewable energy requirements. “


While it seems that this project is still in the planning and funding stages, exploring ways to responsibly utilize local renewable resources seems to be worth investigating. Colorado’s School of Mines students are participating in the site survey. Facts and figures about world wide use of geothermal energy can be found here, at the Geothermal Education office. More info about geothermal power generation is available here on Wikipedia.

Note - Photo is of a geo thermally powered STEAM Turbine and is not similar to what is being researched for use in the local area. For more information on the Turbine pictured, please see and hear the excellent story on KQED Public Radio’s Community Science Website.

Photo Credit

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