GEOTHERMAL energy is in the dock in Germany – but some scientists are pleading for leniency.
A government panel is investigating claims by the state geological survey for Rhineland-Palatinate that a geothermal plant built by energy company Geox triggered a 2.7-magnitude earthquake in the town of Landau in the state on 15 August. If the panel finds against Geox, the facility could be shut down.
Geothermal plants work by pumping pressurised water into hot rocks underground, forcing fissures in the rock to expand. Steam then pushes up to the surface, where it drives a turbine, producing clean energy. But the process,…
