Geothermal electricity set for Rift Valley lift-off in 2009

Well that would be great Jubal. I'm going to find out, because that would be the logical way to do it. Reclaim the water and use it in agriculture.

This is a great story and I am sure that the water is reclaimable when it is used to break up the solids.

East Africa's Great Rift Valley: A Complex Rift System

Geothermal energy history

Geothermal energy is literally, “earth heat”. This type of energy's name comes from two Greek words: “geo” meaning earth, and “therme”, which means heat. While it may seem that the use of geothermal energy is a relatively new idea, it is actually an ancient practice. Many different cultures have used geothermal power to their advantage, and geothermal energy history dates back to some of the Earth's earliest civilizations.

In order to use geothermal energy, the energy source itself must be tapped into. Geothermal energy comes from reserves of water located in the Earth's layer of magma. Magma, otherwise known as molten rock, is a super hot substance that springs directly from the Earth's core, which is a scalding 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Magma heats the reserves of water located in its midst to very high temperatures, around 700 degrees Fahrenheit. These geothermal reservoirs, as they are known, can be drilled into or can escape naturally through cracks in the Earth's crust. These natural formations create such places on Earth as hot springs and geysers.

Geothermal energy history can be traced back to 10,000 years ago when Native Americans used geothermal water found in hot springs to cook and for use as medicine. The geothermal energy found in hot springs was also used by the Romans. The ancient city of Pompeii used geothermal energy to heat homes. Romans also were known to use geothermal water for its medicinal properties; such as in the treatment of skin and eye diseases. Romans and other ancient civilizations also used the soothing geothermal waters found in hot springs for relaxation and natural bathing places. In more recent geothermal energy history, France started using this type of energy in the 1960's to heat their homes. More than 200,000 homes in France are now heated by geothermal water
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How prophetic that we will have to go back to basics to go into the future.

Alright! Geothermal is the way to go! Protect the fertile crescent, our birthplace, from atmosphere choking, soil polluting ancient oils.

Well, I cant find this post anywhere now and have seen other good posts pushed to the back of this site while the garbage rises to the top. The staff here then needs to do something about it. It isn't fair to people who come here to post news and information and actually have a dialogue with others.

And what is the tag ?Source. ?

JanforGore, the evil spammer is at it again - he posts long lists of links to sites which install trojans and other malware - whatever you do, do NOT click on any of these links. Perhaps it because of all the garbage that good posts get lost in the mess...

Why is this post now nowhere to be seen while tons of garbage clog this site up this morning?

The Great Rift Valley extends from Lebanon in the north to Mozambique in the south

Formation of the rift valley is what gave ape,dog,cat and grazing mammalians an edge 30 million years ago, now the cleanest & cheapest form of endless energy known to man?

Is this why The Great Rift Valley is the "BIGGEST WAR ZONE/KILLING FIELD/market for MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL-COMPLEX" in eternity?

DRAWING LINES BETWEEN CONFLICTS DOSE NOT SHRINK THE PROBLEM (see ww1 & ww2)

Great news, this would also reduce the energy required to mine and transport coal, build and manufacture pipelines for oil, and so on.

Good post JanforGor!

From the article:

Areas across the world, from Guatemala to Papua New Guinea, are beginning to plug into geothermal energy as a new and promising alternative to coal and oil-fired power generation.

The century-old energy technology that taps steam from hot underground rocks is also poised for a massive expansion up East Africa's Rift Valley in the 21st century.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have completed a project testing advanced seismic and drilling techniques in Kenya that has exceeded all expectations.

Wells of steam, able to generate 4-5 MW of electricity and one yielding a bumper amount of 8MW - enough to power about 5,700 homes - have been hit using the new technology.

This could mean a saving of as much as $75 million for the developer of a 70MW installation as well as reduced electricity costs for generators and consumers, experts estimate.

The results, announced at the UN climate convention conference in Poznan, Poland have now paved the way for an international effort in 2009 to expand geothermal up and down the Rift which runs from Mozambique in the South to Djibouti in the North.

The project, funded by the GEF and involving UNEP and the Kenyan power company KenGen, could also transform the prospects and costs for geothermal elsewhere in the world.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Combating climate change while simultaneously getting energy to the two billion people without access to it are among the central challenges of this generation. Geothermal is 100 per cent indigenous, environmentally-friendly and a technology that has been under-utilized for too long".

"There are least 4,000MW of electricity ready for harvesting along the Rift. It is time to take this technology off the back burner in order to power livelihoods, fuel development and reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable fossil fuels. From the place where human-kind took its first faltering steps is emerging one of the answers to its continued survival on this planet," he added.