Should Britain use geothermal energy as a future energy source?

Question

Should Britain use geothermal energy as a future energy source?

Answer 1

In a volcanically active country like Iceland, where heated water comes to the surface of its own accord, geothermal energy is practical because it requires very little drilling - you get superheated water just spraying out of the ground! Iceland has more energy than it can use because it's so active (there were even plans some years back to sell their excess electricity to Britain by laying big undersea power cables). In a non-volcanic country like Britain, however, geothermal power would entail drilling many kilometres down into the ground and constructing pipes to carry the water down and the steam back up, making it a much more difficult and expensive proposition.