Scientists who accidentally struck magma while drilling in Krafla, Iceland discovered a way to harness its energy:
“Drilling into magma is a very rare occurrence, and this is only the second known instance anywhere in the world,“ [researcher Wilfred] Elders said. The IDDP [Icelandic Deep Drilling Project] and Iceland’s National Power Company, which operates the Krafla geothermal power plant nearby, decided to make a substantial investment to investigate the hole further.
This meant cementing a steel casing into the well, leaving a perforated section at the bottom closest to the magma. Heat was allowed to slowly build in the borehole, and eventually superheated steam flowed up through the well for the next two years. Elders said that the success of the drilling was “amazing, to say the least”, adding: “This could lead to a revolution in the energy efficiency of high-temperature geothermal projects in the future.” …
The magma-heated steam was measured to be capable of generating 36MW of electrical power. While relatively modest compared to a typical 660MW coal-fired power station, this is considerably more than the 1-3MW of an average wind turbine, and more than half of the Krafla plant’s current 60MW output.
See the awesome power of lava engulfing cans of cola in the above video. Just imagine throwing Mentos in the mix.
The Dish 