AACHEN, Germany -- Scientists here in the academic heart of
Germany's coal-mining region are readying what they say is a
disruptive model for the electric utility industry. Leave the
coal deep underground, they say, and forget the death and
expense that come with mining. Instead, put a drilling hat on.
By baking coal buried thousands of feet underground using
controlled fires and gravity's pressure, they say, previously
inaccessible seams can be shifted into easily extracted gas. The
gas, pumped up, will fuel turbines. And when most of the coal is
gone, inject carbon dioxide to fill the void. It is a simple
concept that could reduce construction costs and eliminate the
need to build the extensive pipelines required for CO2 storage
at any large scale, said Tomas Fernandez-Steeger, an assistant
professor at Aachen University's Department of Engineering
Geology and Hydrogeology. "We make space," he said, "before we
put something in the space." The model combines an
environmentally problematic but proven technolo