Could a volcano in the Caribbean be an awesome geothermal energy source?

Researchers are looking into geofluids hidden under dormant volcanoes for renewable power

UK researchers have started investigating a volcano in the Caribbean for its potential to offer a wide range of valuable resources, including zero-carbon emission geothermal energy.

The researchers are looking to answer a long list of questions

Among those questions is whether dormant volcanoes might be a source of rare metals needed for the production of batteries needed for electric vehicles.  Those metals are difficult to obtain and are currently mined in areas and using methods that are extremely difficult on the environment. Moreover, the sources are limited. The researchers hope the dormant volcanoes will change that.

Moreover, they could also offer an entirely different form of zero-energy power if they could be used for geothermal energy production.

Geothermal energy from dormant volcanoes could be a promising power source

The power would be generated using the geofluids found under dormant volcanoes. Moreover, while those fluids are accessed, it may also be possible to extract lithium, copper, gold, and other metals that are both rare and vital to the production of batteries and other critical components of zero-emission technology. 

Those metals are found emitted by active volcanoes around the world. That said, recovering the dissolved minerals could be possible around those that have gone dormant.

Taking a look at the island of Montserrat

The researchers investigating this potential are from the Oxford Martin Programme on Rethinking Natural Resources, a part of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Their goal is to begin their research by looking into a dormant volcano on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean.

They will dig in various parts of the ground surrounding the volcano in order to conduct an analysis of the geofluids there. The hope is to open an opportunity for obtaining geothermal energy worldwide as well as to develop a blueprint for both energy and precious metal extraction that will be applicable to dormant volcano sites around the globe.

“We are using Montserrat as an example, as a blueprint, and we’ll understand more about what we can do in Montserrat but also what we could do in other places,” said Professor Johnathan Blundy from the research team.