Clean, cheap power right here at home

To the editor:

Geothermal power cost was reported to be 3 to 3.5 cents/kilowatt-hour on buzzle.com/articles/geothermal-energy-cost. Also, an article in Scientific American by Christopher Mims (March 2, 2009) reports, “International investment bank, Credit Suisse, says geothermal power costs 3.6 cents/kw-hour vs. 5.5 cents/kw-hour for coal.”

The Kukak, Douglas, Augustine, Iliamna, Spurr, Torbert and Gerdine volcanoes all lie in a straight corridor, which points directly to Mount McKinley with hot magma near the surface. The total energy available to us, constantly, from this corridor is comparable to having seven nuclear power plants operating continuously at our doorstep. The cost/kw-hour of power from geothermal energy is less than half of what we pay now.

Such geothermal energy does not run dry, is clean and does not emit CO2. Its cost of generation tends to go down with time as technology improves and reduces maintenance cost, and since the supply is, effectively, unlimited, the cost will not go up with increasing demand like oil and gas does.

Why have we not developed geothermal power? Have oil corporations and our government been suppressing geothermal development?

Geothermal leases on Mount Spurr have been sold to Ormat Technologies, but they have done nothing to develop this cheap power for Alaska.

What have they done so far, and what do they plan to do this summer?

If the answer is “nothing,” then we should get these leases back and sell them to others, who will develop this resource. If we do not fight hard to become independent from oil, then we shall remain hostage to World oil suppliers.

Daniel N. Russell,

physicist

Willow