(Image: Pixabay CC0)
(Image: Pixabay CC0) Researchers at EPFL and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy have devised strategies for reducing the earthquake risk associated with geothermal energy, CO2 storage and other human activities happening deep underground. Although most earthquakes are attributable to natural causes, some are triggered - directly or indirectly - by human activity. These minor tremors, known as "induced seismicity," are one of the biggest challenges posed by deep geothermal energy, CO2 storage, and other activities that involve injecting gases and liquids deep underground. Researchers at EPFL's Laboratory of Soil Mechanics (LMS) and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) have devised new strategies for reducing human-induced earthquake risk. Their findings have been published in Geophysical Journal International . Custom-training deep geothermal reservoirs Deep geothermal systems provide a sustainable, renewable, zero-carbon source of power and are consistent with the Swiss government's 2050 energy strategy and its pledge to go carbon-neutral. Yet the technology used in Switzerland, known as Enhanced Geothermal Stimulation (EGS), has faced setbacks after triggering earthquakes in Basel in 2006 and in St. Gallen in 2013.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
