by Paul L. Younger, Rankine Chair of Engineering, Professor of Energy Engineering, Glasgow University & GRC Member
Expansion of geothermal energy use across the globe is restricted by out-of-date prejudices. It is time for geothermal exploration to be extended to a broader range of environments and rejuvenated with the latest insights from relevant geoscience disciplines.
Pressure is growing to accelerate uptake of renewable energy resources worldwide. Geothermal energy could provide an important alternative to fossil fuels. Volcanically active regions, such as Iceland and New Zealand, have a successful and well-established infrastructure to harvest this resource. However, current conceptual models for geothermal exploration are largely based on the tectonic settings typical of those countries, which are located along unusually active plate tectonic boundaries. Attempts to apply these models to different environments and geological settings, such as in east Africa where the continent is starting to break apart, have, unsurprisingly, generated confusing and ambiguous results.
However, we should not dismiss potentially valuable geothermal resources in east Africa simply because they do not comply with conditions found in other environments. Rather, geothermal exploration in incipient continental rifts, as well as in a range of other tectonic settings, should be rejuvenated. The benefits for developing African nations could be vast.
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