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FuturologyBot t1_irvnkwt wrote

The following submission statement was provided by /u/filosoful:


Geothermal systems carry warmth from Earth’s interior up to the surface for heating or electricity. But geothermal power plants are expensive to build, and will get even less economically viable as wind and solar power get cheaper and more plentiful. However, even as wind and solar grow, so does the need to store electricity from those temperamental sources.

A new proposal could solve those issues and bolster all three renewable technologies. The idea is simple—use advanced geothermal reservoirs to store excess wind and solar power in the form of hot water or steam, and bring up that heat when wind and solar aren’t available, to turn turbines for electricity.

>It would allow next-generation geothermal plants to break from the traditional baseload operating paradigm and earn much greater value as suppliers of wind and solar,

says Wilson Ricks, a graduate student in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University.


Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/y16ixm/geothermal_may_beat_batteries_for_energy_storage/irvklbm/

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