Captured CO₂ + Geothermal = Ultra-Clean Power

In a novel combination of carbon sequestration used in conjunction with geothermal power production, a South Dakota geothermal firm will use sequestered carbon dioxide instead of geothermal fluids to produce geothermal power. Rapid City-based Heat Mining Company can use the carbon dioxide captured in carbon capture and storage (CCS) process as the underground working fluid to extract geothermal heat for additional electricity production and/or district heating, according to a report at Sustainable Business. In the process, the CO2 can be permanently stored underground, resulting in a geothermal power plant with not only a neutral, but even a negative carbon footprint. The Carbon Plume Geothermal (CPG) technology used by the company is expected to produce renewable electricity far more efficiently than conventional geothermal systems, all while effectively sequestering the carbon dioxide far underground. It is a win-win for developing much more renewable geothermal power and reducing excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, by sequestering it.