Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland, 4/16/10 (© Brynjar Gauti/AP Photo )

Volcanoes could soon heat British homes

4/14/2012

Great Britain's energy minister, Charles Hendry, is heading to Iceland in May to negotiate an unusual energy deal: Using 932 miles of underwater copper cables to connect British homes with Iceland's volcanoes, whose natural geothermal heat and accompanying geysers would be used as an energy source. This scheme was first proposed decades ago, but the cables, called "interconnectors," were deemed too expensive. Now, as we all know, the days when using gas saved you money are long gone, so if this low-carbon energy sourcing works, Iceland's recovering economy will get a boost and up to a third of British homes could enjoy energy from volcanoes in their own homes by 2020.

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