University of Minnesota researchers have developed a new geothermal method, the CO2-plume geothermal system, that would use carbon dioxide to generate electricity.

Current methods for generating electricity using Earth’s inner heat involve extracting hot water from rock formations several hundred feet below the surface at the few natural hot spots around the world, and then using the hot water to drive power-producing turbines, a UM release reported Monday. In contrast, the CPG system uses high-pressure CO2 instead of water as the underground heat-carrying fluid.

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London’s Heathrow airport is studying the possibility of using a system that will use geothermal energy to warm runways in the winter.

“We would store the energy underground and use it to gently heat water that would then be run through pipes in freezing conditions to warm the stands, which are the slabs of concrete directly beneath the planes, to just above zero.”

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Almost 90% of the world’s geothermal capacity is located in only eight countries. With technological and engineering improvements, more countries will be able to develop their geothermal resources.

In the report’s high-growth forecast, geothermal capacity increases 134 percent to 25.1 gigawatts. In the report’s most conservative forecast, Pike estimated that world geothermal capacity will grow to 14.3 gigawatts by 2020.

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