Are lasers the wave of the future for gas and oil drilling?
According to the Department of Energy, if drilling with lasers ultimately proves viable, it could be the most radical change in drilling technology in the last century. It was at the turn of the 20th century when rotary drilling supplanted cable tool drilling as the petroleum industry's standard method for reaching oil and gas formations. While major improvements have occurred since then, the basic mechanical drilling method has remained essentially the same.