Geothermal power could be solution for Indiana's abandoned coal mines

Vacant coal mines in southwest Indiana could once again generate energy, not from coal, but from the water reservoirs now found on their surface and deep underground.

That is the objective of Purdue University geologists studying how to transform old strip and shaft mines into new sources of geothermal power, a process that could conserve energy during peak power-usage times and cut electricity costs.

“Our plan is to find the locations in the state where underground mines and surface mines coincide,” said Terry West, a professor of earth and atmospheric science.

When surface mines and underground mines coexist, water can be pumped back and forth between the two to create a heat exchange.

“Whenever you have water at two different elevations you have an opportunity to pump water back and forth from one elevation to another,” West said. “In the process, there’s a difference in temperature because the water in the mine is cold, so it has what is called a geothermal capability.”

Physorg