A group of geologists in Dunedin are hoping to reduce climate-damaging emissions by drilling deep into an extinct 11-million-year-old volcano below the South Island city to harness its heat.
Dr Mike Palin and Otago University colleagues are exploring whether the heat could be a viable energy resource, “thereby reducing carbon-based fuel consumption and consequent greenhouse gas emissions”.
Geologists hope to drill two bores through the veneer of sedimentary rock, 500 metres deep into the volcano, and are seeking backing for the NZ$1m (US$700,000) project from the government’s Smart Ideas programme.
