The ferocious power from volcanoes can be harnessed, and Hawaii wants to use that method to achieve 100 percent renewable energy.
Hawaii is chasing 100% renewable energy with active volcanoes http://t.co/cPnDaXv5Su pic.twitter.com/Dwfr9V8Zdh
— Kelly Dickerson (@Kickerson13) July 29, 2015
Business Insider reports:
Now Hawaii is positioning itself to create a 100% renewable-sourced electrical grid — something no US state has achieved. Unlike Costa Rica, however, Hawaii plans to put the infrastructure and safeguards in place to make the milestone permanent.
Governor David Ige signed a bill on June 8 pledging that Hawaii will become completely energy self-sustaining by 2045. If the government follows through, geothermal energy from volcanoes will play a big role.
There are five active volcanoes in hawaii. The Big Island gets 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources and they could be the key to creating renewable energy. Engineers can tap hot spots for geothermal energy by sucking up hot briney groundwater, converting it to steam to power turbines and then delivering the electricity to the main power grid, according to Business Insider.
Building a power plant near a volcano can be dangerous and Business Insider explains why:
Drilling wells to feed new geothermal plants poses a more likely problem. If a drill rig unexpectedly hits an extremely hot- and high-pressure steam zone, the well can explode in a blowout. Steam blowouts sound like a jet airplane taking off, and they can spew harmful gases like hydrogen sulfide.
The Puna plant had a similar incident earlier this year.