Mining heat from the earth? New technology shows promise.

Christian Science Monitor: Mining heat from the earth? New technology shows promise.

New techniques could expand the capabilities of geothermal power, producing 10 percent of US electricity by 2050.

Here's one vision for easing America's energy and emissions woes: Hundreds of drilling rigs are deployed throughout the country. But they're not prospecting for oil; they're looking for underground rock hot enough to produce steam-driven electricity. The potential? Enough power to provide 10 percent of US electricity by 2050 – with near-zero emissions of greenhouse gases.

That's the promise of "enhanced geothermal systems," or EGS, says a recent report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. …