Forget clean coal technology or nuclear power plants: a report issued by researchers at MIT has concluded that a substantial amount of power lies just below the Earth's crust. The report, titled "The Future of Geothermal Energy", is the first in almost 30 years to take a look at mining heat for energy.

The report shows that "drilling several wells to reach hot rock and connecting them to a fractured rock region that has been stimulated to let water flow through it creates a heat-exchanger that can produce large amounts of hot water or steam to run electric generators at the surface." In other words, no fuel would be needed to run those generators (unlike conventional power plants) and the energy would run day or night continously. Environmentally, such an energy source would require a small footprint (since most of the technology is contained underground).

It's fascinating to note that electricity produced annually by geothermal energy systems now in use in the United States at sites in California, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada is comparable to that produced by solar and wind power combined. Researches admit that the potential is far-greater since most sites throughout the U.S. are within reach of hot rocks underground.

It's an interesting option to consider geothermal energy as opposed to other carbon-based sources. There are concerns with the technology (seismic issues and water requirements in arid regions), but overall — much like the sun — everything we need is available with very little effort. We have the technology (the U.S. has been the leader in geothermal tech for decades) but we're apparently lacking the vision. Here's to hoping that reports such as this one lead to greater investment and put geothermal as a card on the table of future U.S. energy sources.

Source: MIT-led Panel Backs Geothermal As Key U.S. Energy Source