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Volcanoes and Engineered geothermal power plants

Volcanoes on the earth are created by a rupture in the crust of the earth. This rupture allows hot Lava, volcanic ash and gas used to escape from magma Chambers of the volcano. Volcanoes are found where tectonic plates are converging or diverging or where the plates of the Earth crust is thin.

Volcanoes are considered as destructive forces, but they are beneficial in many ways. Volcanic areas are very rich in minerals which can be mined and exported. For example, volcanic areas of Philippines are major producer of gold, copper, and zinc. Volcanic landscapes are visually striking and contribute to the natural beauty. Volcanic regions are major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the world generating revenue for local businesses engaged in tourism, like restaurants, hotels, and travel. Yellowstone National Park became a tourist destination for more than 3 million people, and Pompeii is visited by more than 2 million people 2023. These activities generate income for local economy. Volcanoes are a source of geothermal energy, a clean and renewable source of power. For example, Iceland meets over 80% of energy needs from geothermal power. Volcanic ash fertilises the soil, increasing the productivity of the agriculture land. For example, soil blessed by volcanoes in Italy is very productive, especially producing high quality grapes and tomatoes. Volcanoes mitigate the effects of climate change by sequestering carbon from atmosphere. Forests of Eiffel region in Germany are examples for this. Water filtered through volcanic rocks remove impurities and make it drinkable. Volcanic regions are usually very beautiful, inspiring artists and writers for centuries. Cultural tourism is also promoted by volcanoes and volcanic regions for example, annual Fire Festival in Indonesia celebrates the volcanic deity of Mount Merapi. Volcanic regions can contribute to biodiversity, as they support specialised flora and fauna which may not be found in other areas. Thermal Springs originating in volcanic regions are valued for their therapeutic and recreational properties from ancient times. Volcanoes provide opportunities for scientific research and education in geology, earth sciences, and volcanic hazards.

The most obvious disadvantage is volcanic eruptions. Volcanic eruptions can cause widespread destruction of infrastructure, property, crops, landscapes, and ecosystems. Release of gases, ashes and Lava can occur during volcanic eruptions. Lava flows, lahars, ash clouds and pyroclastic flows can damage homes, businesses, roads, and crops leading to significant economic losses. Explosive eruptions can pose a direct threat to human life and property.

• Loss of life and injuries: Lava flows from volcanic eruptions can destroy everything in its path. It can cause loss of life and injuries. It is impossible to divert or contain Lava flows. Pyroclastic flows are fast moving streams of very hot gas, ash, and volcanic debris. It can destroy life and cause injuries. Volcanic eruptions release a lot of ashes, which then fall contaminating water resources, and causing respiratory problems for humans and animals. Sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen fluoride release during volcanic eruptions can contribute to air pollution, and acid rain causing health risk to humans and animals. Melting of ice and snow on a volcano during volcanic eruptions can cause lahars. Lahars are fast flowing mixture of ashes, debris, and water. It can destroy and injure human life.
• Disruption of transportation and communication networks: Air travel can be disrupted by ash fall, ash clouds and volcanic debris. So, people cannot be evacuated from volcanic regions, using aeroplanes during volcanic eruptions. Lava flows, pyroclastic flows and lahars can damage roads, and bridges impeding transportation networks. People living near volcanoes, which are on the verge of imminent eruption are sometimes requested by the authorities to leave before the eruption. Since it is not easy to evacuate highly populated areas at the time of volcanic eruption. Communication networks are also destroyed by lava flows, pyroclastic flows, lahars, and ashes along with debris fall during volcanic eruptions. The losses due volcanic eruption can occur, due to the weight of our ash on roofs. This can cause structural damages. Lava flows and lahars can destroy or bury structures and buildings.
• Environmental damage: Long-lasting environmental damage can be caused by volcanic eruptions. It can affect air quality, water quality, and soil fertility. Ash falls from volcanic eruptions can destroy crops and agricultural land. Accumulation of volcanic ash on agricultural land can lead to reduced fertility and productivity.
• Social and psychological impacts: Volcanic eruptions can cause evacuation of communities living near to the volcano. These eruptions can cause trauma, anxiety, and displacement of communities. Volcanic eruptions can disrupt livelihoods, lead to loss of homes, cultural heritage. Which in turn create social and economic challenges for the affected populations. All these changes can have profound impact on individuals and communities.
• Economic impact: The economic impact of volcanic eruptions can be significant. The cost associated with the lost incomes, from the agricultural lands and crops, along with the rebuilding lost infrastructures, compensating for property damage, and addressing environmental consequences can strain their economy. Volcanic eruptions also result in less income from tourism if the infrastructure damage is big. Sometimes volcanic eruptions can also attract tourists. Destruction of volcanic landscapes and infrastructures sometimes reduce the number of tourists.

Geothermal energy is a form of renewable, sustainable, and green energy that harnesses heat from the interior of the earth to meet energy needs. The interior of the earth is very hot, with temperatures reaching up to 6000 °C at the core. This heat is generated by the radioactive decay of the elements in the mantle and outer core of the Earth, or the energy accumulated at the time of the formulation of the Earth.

Geothermal reservoirs can be created artificially with the help of engineering technology. The engineers can improve naturally occurring geothermal systems. Engineering is used to improve geothermal reservoirs, that have hot rocks but insufficient fluid quantity or insufficient rock permeability or porosity, to act as natural geothermal or hydrothermal systems. Types of engineered geothermal power plants include enhanced geothermal systems, geothermal heat pumps, closed loop, or advanced geothermal systems.

Enhanced geothermal power plants, use a modified fracking technology used by the oil and gas industry. These engineered systems create or enhance existing geothermal reservoirs in hot dry rock formations, deep within the interior of the planet earth. The cold water under high pressure is injected into existing hot rock fissures to stimulate fractures, creating a network for water to circulate. The hot water then brought to surface for electricity generation or direct heating. Drilling machines can use directional drilling to expand the reservoir size. Enhanced geothermal power plants can expand geothermal power generation, to areas without naturally occurring geothermal reservoirs. Enhanced geothermal power plants can be used in regions, where elevated temperatures are available in the interior of the Earth. These elevated temperatures may be associated with the volcanic regions. But elevated temperatures in the interior of the Earth is sometimes found in non-volcanic regions also. Enhanced geothermal systems and power plants, hold promise in countries like Germany which recently lost its direct supply of gas from Russia. Interestingly the magma chamber under the volcano of Lahaar See in the Eiffel region in Germany is very big, even if the chamber is not filled with the magma. Refer to the article published in the link below. Enhanced geothermal systems along with the binary cycle geothermal power plants improve the efficiency of geothermal power generation.

Geothermal heat pumps or ground source heat pumps are used for direct cooling or heating of the buildings. Geothermal heat pumps use the relatively stable temperature, below the surface of the Earth to provide heating or cooling of the building. Pipes filled with a heat exchanging fluid is buried under the soil and the stable temperature of the earth is used to heat or cool the air, and this air is then circulated in the building.

Advanced geothermal systems or closed loop geothermal power plants are the latest addition to geothermal power generation. These kinds of power plants contain a closed loop of deeply buried pipes containing working fluid. This working fluid is heated in the hot rock reservoirs without direct contact with the rock pores and fractures. The advantages of a deep closed loop geothermal power plants include: no need of geothermal fluid, no need of permeable or porous rock, and all the introduced working fluid can be recirculated with zero loss. Other advantageous include no environmental pollution due to the release of gases from geothermal reservoirs, and no environmental pollution due to the release of geothermal fluids.

As per US geological survey there are about 1350 active volcanoes worldwide, aside from the continuous belts of volcanoes on the ocean floor of the Atlantic Ridge. Volcanoes and volcanic regions are energy sources with a lot of unexploited potential. Among all the geothermal power plants discussed above, the closed loop geothermal power plants are very promising. We need to advance our knowledge in technology related to drilling to reach far below the current achieved depth of wells. If we can improve the precision of seismic tomography to the precision achieved in the field of medical tomography to view what is going on below the surface of the Earth in real-time, then probably we can extract the geothermal energy with the understanding of what is going on below the surface of the Earth. Artificial intelligence and Robotics science may also help us to improve the extraction of geothermal energy. Geothermal energy can improve our energy security. Geothermal energy can be produced even when the rivers are frozen. Lack of wind, water, waves, or sun will not affect the production of geothermal energy. The Icelandic experiment of drilling into the magma Chambers of volcanoes for geothermal power extraction, if it is successful probably, we could extract the great energy stored in volcanic magma Chambers of the volcanoes around the globe. Extraction of energy from magma Chambers may reduce the temperature and pressure buildup in the volcanoes leading to volcanic eruptions as some of the physicists already mentioned. This way we can manage volcanoes to produce good results for humanity.

A shareholder company or many homeowners or business owners coming together to install the geothermal power plants to share the cost of installation may be a solution where public funding is not available. So that homeowners or business owners can use the energy produced by the geothermal power plants and the remaining energy produced after their needs can be sold to the energy companies. There may be legal issues in some countries as only public institutions are allowed to operate in the energy sector. So before going forward with the above project you must check the local laws in the energy sector.