i have been following the discussion between you guys. I was really hoping to find out some useful information about the use of geothermal, so let me see if i got this all straight:
Geothermal is a viable option
Geothermal is expensive, so will probably not be a large factor in the near future.
Geothermal may or may not be able to be used around the world
Geothermal is good as individual home pumps
What are the enviornmental reprocussions of Geothermal. If we remove the heat from the earth's core, will that make the crust hotter? Will heat radiation from the earth increase? Will we be able to pump all excess waste back into the ground? What is it that makes it so expensive? If we can use some of our oil drilling techniques and machines, then why is the expense issue.
True.
Geothermal is expensive, so will probably not be a large factor in the near future.
The cost of geothermal power varies considerably, depending on location. In places where a geothermal power plant can be built relatively cheaply, it can be an economical thing to do.
Geothermal may or may not be able to be used around the world
Current geothermal power technology is only practical on a small percentage of the Earth's surface. The point of the above article, is that Professor Tester believes that the technology may soon make it practical to build geothermal power plants anywhere on Earth. This would require building artificial geothermal fields, several kilometers below the surface, something that would be tremendously expensive to do (presently), and would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
Geothermal is good as individual home pumps
These do exist and do seem to be practical for some people in some places, but are not a general solution to mankind's energy problem.
If we remove the heat from the earth's core, will that make the crust hotter?
No. Geothermal power plants don't go anywhere near the core. They simply intercept heat which has already traveled thousands of miles toward the surface, and is not quite there yet.
Will heat radiation from the earth increase?
The answer to this is a little too complicated to answer briefly, and you probably wouldn't understand a full answer, anyway. Suffice it to say that any difference would be insignificant, even if mankind's total energy needs were supplied from geothermal sources.
Will we be able to pump all excess waste back into the ground?
The only "excess waste" is hot water and gasses that come up from the geothermal field. Since only the heat is useful, it makes sense to pump the cooled materials back down to where they came from. In fact, if this is not done, the field loses efficiency, so this is how modern geothermal plants work. They sit on the surface, looking like they are doing nothing, and simply put out electricity.
What is it that makes it so expensive? If we can use some of our oil drilling techniques and machines, then why is the expense issue.
Drilling lots of very deep holes and installing plumbing deep underground, is very expensive to do. It also costs a lot of money for oil companies to do it, but what is required to build an "anywhere" geothermal plant is much greater than what is needed to drill oil. As technology advances, these costs decrease.
Hope this helps.
All that said, we already have the technology to build much better nuclear reactors. Modern reactors would be much cheaper to build, much cheaper (and safer to fuel), much cheaper (and safer) to operate, and much more efficient at extracting energy from available fuel sources than current reactors. They could also be used to eliminate (by burning as fuel) virtually all high level nuclear waste currently in existence.
Most of the technology to accomplish this has been well understood since the 1970s, but its use has been suppressed by the adherents of the anti-nuclear religion.
Giving that as a preliminary, I would answer your questions as indicated below:
What are the environmental repercussions of Geothermal. In that process minimum, as the brine is reinjected. Possible danger from leakage of the Isobutane into the atmosphere.
If we remove the heat from the earth's core, will that make the crust hotter? I don't think you meant what you have asked. Removing heat never makes anything hotter, except the source that the heat is being transfered to, which in this case is the Isobutane. What would happen is a lower temperature brine would be re injected into the earth. If anything the earths core would be cooled. But this would be a very minimal effect.
Will heat radiation from the earth increase?
No comment.
Will we be able to pump all excess waste back into the ground? Yes unless not permitted to do so by local regulations.
What is it that makes it so expensive? Geothermal brine is very corrosive and abrasive, requiring high cost equipment.
If we can use some of our oil drilling techniques and machines, then why is the expense issue.Drilling is a capitol coast, what I refer to above is an ongoing maintenance cost and an high capitol cost.