Scottish Geothermal Energy Potential

The BBC has a report on interest in geothermal power in Scotland - Cairngorms and Lothian hot rocks potential highlighted.

Hot rocks far below the surface of Scotland offer a means of generating limitless amounts of electricity, according to a new study.

Ed Stephens, a geologist at St Andrews University in Fife, said the Cairngorms and East Lothian have the potential for geothermal systems. He said more research would be needed on how to exploit the resource and overcome expensive drilling costs. Germany and Australia are already developing geothermal projects.

Mr Stephens study used data gathered in the 1980s. He said geothermals potential in Scotland was again topical because the Scottish government had added it to its list of renewable energy resources.
Radioactive decay

Hard granites in the eastern Cairngorms and running towards Aberdeen offered some of the best sources of hot rocks, Mr Stephens said. The origin of the heat is the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium and potassium contained within the rock.

Mr Stephens said this heat accumulated slowly over geological time and granites deep in the Earths crust have become repositories of "effectively limitless supplies of thermal energy". Electricity could be generated by pumping water down bore holes to create steam to drive power plants.

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New Mapping Tool Shows Tidal Power Potential

IEEE Spectrum has an article on efforts to map tidal power potential in the US - New Mapping Tool Shows Tidal Power Potential.

A group at Georgia Tech University has created a database-driven mapping tool aimed at illustrating the tidal power potential around the coastlines of the entire United States. The map was validated by the Department of Energy, and is now available to all.

There arent yet any major tidal power installations in the US, but according to the DOE, the map indicates strong potential in both the Northeast and Northwest. Some related projects do exist, like turbines under the East River in New York. Atlantis Resources Corporation, which makes a double-turbine type of tidal power device, has several projects under development around the world, including in India.

And as with any type of energy, assessing tidal powers practical generation potential is the first step. Though some reports have suggested a global capacity of 90 gigawatts, or a US potential equaling 15 percent of total electricity requirements, assessments on a more local, project-specific level will now be easy with the Georgia Tech map.

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