[LINK] Geothermal wells

[tomk]

Warning, the following O/T response contains irreverent and irrelevant 
humour. It may be misunderstood by persons that are not intellectually 
challenged.

On 12/11/2012 9:56 p.m., stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> Geothermal energy systems, common in countries like Iceland and China,
> use the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool buildings.
<SNIP>
> Also, the pipes in a closed loop vertical bore well system are warranted
> for 50 years, while the aboveground geothermal equipment has a life
> expectancy of 25 to 30 years, Mr. Goodwin said. That’s roughly twice the
> life expectancy of a furnace or other conventional system, he said.
>
> A 3,000-square-foot home in a suburban area would probably need two to
> three wells, at $9,000 per well, for a geothermal heat pump system to
> heat and cool the home.
>
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/business/geothermal-energy-advocates-
> hope-systems-get-a-second-look.html?>
Mr. Godwin obviously hasn't figured out that for a Geo thermal well to 
be shallow enough for a $9000 bore hole to reach the thermal area, the 
house would have to have been built on top of a fault line. The carbon 
saving therefore is made irrelevant when measured against the release of 
the H2SO4 vapour clouds emitting from the bore...) doesn't seem like 
enough of an incentive for me to stop burning coal in my fireplace in a 
home located miles from the closest fault-line and move closer to the 
reason for the H2S04.
Anyone that has been to Rotorua in New Zealand will know the smell I am 
referring too.
Who the hell wants to put up with that many rotten eggs for a little bit 
of green warming ?
According to scientists in 1988, the earth was going to warm 10 degrees 
by 2020.
I think it would be cheaper to buy some long johns $19.95 at Lowes and 
await the Global Warming to heat your home - naturally.... much safer 
than moving into a fault zone region.
(Buy two pairs on the dim, probably unlikely chance that they got it wrong.)
In other words if the scientists got it right then hot rock heating for 
the home is a waste of money and Mr. Godwin is wrong.
And we know Mr. Godwin is wrong because we have political consensus on 
global warming.

TomK