Three Bits
Three Bits: Volcanic electricity, Missouri goes to war with abandoned wells, and play our quiz!
Your routine roundup of drilling news and notes from across the globe
Each week, The Driller takes a look at the news that's affecting the industry and the people involved in all of it. From geothermal to water to the latest in equipment and the innovation that powers it, scouring news sites and more from across the globe.
Here’s what you need to know for the week of Oct. 26-30.
Relying on the ‘iPad kid’
According to recent figures from the Water Systems Council, 82 percent of contracting operations are family-owned businesses. But what happens when a son, daughter or beloved family member doesn’t want to pick up the reins? It’s a reality when looking at the other glaring number, that the people running these companies aren’t getting any younger. The average age of a driller contractor? 53. In his first for The Driller, Hans Pande looks at the steps companies need to take now, so auctioneers aren’t doing the work on your behalf.
Volcano-powered electricity?
This week, a small startup geothermal enterprise was able to generate electricity for over 30 minutes fully brokered from the heat of an underwater volcano off the coast of Oregon. Here’s how they did it.
Test your Driller knowledge!
Drillers are always learning. We’ve created a fun way for you to test the knowledge you know, and gain some smart insight when it comes to the work you do everyday with our collection of quizzes, called Driller or Digger? Choose your category, take the quiz and see where you stack up with the rest of the industry. Get started right here!
Missouri is paying to plug wells
This month, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced that it is accepting applications for residents and companies to apply for a grant for up to $20,000 to plug abandoned wells before they can contaminate groundwater resources and public water systems. The Show Me State estimates there are over 500,000 abandoned wells and hope that this initiative will help remediate a sizable number of them. Here’s the plan.
CRS highlights importance of geothermal
The importance of geothermal energy to the future of the U.S. electricity grid and the significance of drilling at tapping geothermal resources were outlined in a recent report to Congress by the research institute, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), The report entitled, Geothermal Resources for Energy Development in the United States cites U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessments of domestic geothermal resources. Here’s what it said and what Congress is saying about it.
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