Hot Rocks- Renewable Engergy from the Earth
Explore the concepts of heat transfer and heat capacity as you learn how research at Sanford Underground Research Facility is helping to inform safe, effective geothermal energy systems of the future.
Curriculum module media
Deep underground at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), researchers have built a test bed for ‘Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). EGS is an engineered approach to geothermal energy – energy from hot rocks deep in the earth.
Students will explore heat transfer and heat capacity. Then learn how heat can be extracted from the rock by forcing water through stimulated fractures, and how the test bed at SURF enables researchers to study the geological features and engineering required to do this in a safe, efficient manner.