Startup taps underwater volcano as energy source in “proof point” test

My first thought was to wonder what the impact is on existing hydrothermal ecosystems.

The Axial Seamount area is not at all some dead barren zone we can just tap into without concern for ecological harm. Hydrothermal vent areas are very vibrant ecosystems that influence deep ocean ecology in ways we already understand, and probably ways we don't yet understand.

I am glad to see in their press release [1] they do mention careful selection of sites, conditions for operation, and ecological monitoring. And the area is already the focus of oceanographic research by various institutions.

[1] https://www.enduranceenergy.com/press/adelie

I have quite a few friends that work at Endurance. I’m excited by their development and to see them making news. Their concept is a cool one. Interested to see how they balance potentially disrupting those ecosystems with putting electricity on the grid.

Man how high is that equivalent LCOE. No way does capex and opex on this work out. Geothermal underwater with a heat source thats potentially changing a lot.

Seems like a headline grabber and not a real solution but hopefully some useful tech comes out of it.

“The company is also developing a larger 2-megawatt commercial generator for its first planned commercial deployment with the Kingdom of Tonga in 2027. The Polynesian island nation in the South Pacific Ocean runs its power grid primarily on imported diesel fuel, which has significantly increased in price since the United States and Israel launched their war with Iran.

“The 2 MW commercial generators will be about the size of a shipping container, and we are deploying up to six of these generators [to] offshore Tonga,” Redd told Ars. “The physical footprint of this project will be relatively small.”

Nice potential application! I’m not sure of the scaling economics but I certainly do love to see all forms of power generation explored

It is actually entertaining that there is a plausible use for the most super-villain-coded obsession with volcanoes

I have tried that in Oxygen Not Included. The problem is that magma quickly solidifies when you remove energy. I wonder if they took that into account.

THats... Wow. Ok, I didn't expect to read something so strange but useful here. I'm just scared of what consequences it could have in the reality, like creating natural disasters or simila

For goodness sakes don't puncture the crust. We'd be back to the Hadean era.

βehemoth incoming

So what's the key thing that determines feasibility?

The article references an expert who is skeptical, saying that this is unlikely to be cheaper than just doing it on land (standard geothermal)?

The article also references reasons to think this could be worthwhile. Cooling, pressure, etc. One could also guess that permitting could be easier.

But I'm left not really understanding whether they proved enough, or what really needs to be proven.

They should try to recreate the origins of life there while they're at it.

"Thank God it's only a motion picture!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_in_the_World

Elon is going to demand access to the Yellowstone Caldera pretty soon I'm guessing.

Sounds like the plot of a James Bond story.

Great news for island nations and territories if this can scale. There’s something very sci-fi about islands powered by underwater volcanoes, and the jobs it could create would be fascinating. Going from pearl divers to subsea power-station drone technicians, ha.

I wonder what industries it could help thrive. afaik Iceland has a relatively big aluminium smelting industry due to its cheap, excess geothermal power. Could we see new opportunities spring up in places like Kerguelen, South Georgia or Tristan da Cunha? Modern takes on whaling stations?

I feel that I should be able name several Jules Verne characters, "B" movie villains, and such who powered their underwater lairs and/or sinister superweapons this way - but I'm coming up blank.

Anyone?

I’ve been expecting Oracle to do this. It’d solve their current data center power problem. And it gives a place for Ellison to have video calls with the UN.

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