Australia's Geothermal Potential? According to Bard AI

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Question: Given Australia's unique geology with large radionucleotide rich fractured granite lens at shallow depths will geothermal energy be developed?

Bard's response:

Yes, Australia's unique geology with large radionucleotide rich fractured granite lens at shallow depths makes it a promising region for the development of geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that uses the heat from the Earth's interior to generate electricity or heat buildings. It is a clean and sustainable energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases.

Australia has a number of factors that make it a good location for geothermal energy development. These factors include:

Abundant geothermal resources: Australia has a large amount of geothermal resources, with over 100,000 megawatts of potential capacity.

Shallow depths: The geothermal resources in Australia are located at relatively shallow depths, making them easier and less expensive to develop.

Radionucleotide rich fractured granite lens: Australia has large radionucleotide rich fractured granite lens at shallow depths, which can be used to generate electricity.

However, there are also some challenges to the development of geothermal energy in Australia. These challenges include:

High upfront costs: The upfront costs of developing geothermal energy projects are high.
Lack of infrastructure: There is currently a lack of infrastructure in Australia to support the development of geothermal energy projects.

Environmental impact: Geothermal energy projects can have an environmental impact, such as the potential to contaminate groundwater.

Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of geothermal energy development in Australia are significant. Geothermal energy can help Australia to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and meet its climate change goals.

The Australian government has been supportive of the development of geothermal energy. In 2019, the government announced a A$20 million investment in geothermal energy research and development. The government is also considering providing financial incentives for the development of geothermal energy projects.

The development of geothermal energy in Australia is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to make a significant contribution to the country's energy mix.

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If you look at the list of countries that have developed Geothermal energy you will see that Australia is listed as 0, despite Australia's almost unique geological advantages which can be described as natures' nuclear reactor..

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Series Title: Australia's Hidden Geothermal Wealth
Part 1: Radiogenic Granites - The Sleeping Giant of the Outback
Word Count: 1,050

Key Themes: Geology | Technology | Cooper Basin Lessons

"Beneath the sunbaked plains of South Australia lies an energy resource so potent, a single cubic kilometer of hot granite holds the equivalent of 40 million barrels of oil. Yet unlike the roaring rigs of the Cooper Basin?s gas fields, the Paralana geothermal field sits silent ? waiting for technology and policy to unlock its 10,000-year energy reserve."

Section 1: The Science of Radiogenic Heat

Atomic Batteries: How uranium/thorium decay in Hiltaba Suite granites generates 3-5x more heat than typical crust

Thermal Blanketing: The role of Curnamona Province sediments as Earth's "natural pressure cooker" (data: 195C at 3.5km vs global avg 150C)

Global Rarity: Only 3 comparable systems worldwide (Ukraine's Kola, Canada's Athabasca, China's Yangbajing)

Section 2: Breaking the EGS Code

Fracking 2.0: Next-gen stimulation using supercritical CO₂ (CSIRO pilot results showing 20% better flow than water)

Drilling Innovations: Plasma torch prototypes reducing well costs from
20M to 12M (University of Adelaide trials)

AI Reservoir Management: How machine learning optimizes fracture networks (case study: France's Rittershoffen plant)

Section 3: The Cooper Basin Crucible

What Went Wrong: Geodynamics $200M project : drilling successes undone by financing gaps

Emerging Hope: New players like QGEO targeting modular 5MW plants to de-risk scaling

"But South Australia isn't alone in this geothermal race. As we'll explore in Part 2, Tasmania's Bass Strait anomaly offers a radically different and perhaps more bankable path to geothermal commercialization."