Here are our answers to the questions we get asked most frequently. Fill out the form at the bottom of the page to submit your own questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How is the hydrobore technology different from present tunnel building techniques?

Answer: There are several characteristics that set the hydrobore apart from existing tunnel building machines. First, the hydrobore serves as a work station for its crew, providing an enclosed living and working environment as the tunnel is built. In addition, because the crew can work safely within the hydrobore, the tunnel itself can be flooded with water, helping to maintain the tunnel's structural integrity and avoiding collapse of the tunnel walls which has thus far prevented current tunnel building machines from succesfully reaching great depths. For more details, visit our technology page.

Question: How much power would a geo-thermal power plant built with the hydrobore technology produce?

Answer: It is our theory that with the increased volume of water made available by the hydrobore tunneling techniques, a geo-thermal power plant would be able to produce between 1,000 and 1,500 megawatts of electricity. Current geo-thermal power plants average between 40 and 50 megawatts. This new technology would create enough electricity to serve approximately 1.5 million homes with each power plant. For more details, visit our technology page.

Question: How long would it take to build this geo-thermal power plant?

Answer: The power plant and the tunnels could be built simultaneously. 100 miles of tunnel (10 miles down, 80 miles around, and 10 miles up to the surface) could be built in 5-6 years. The power plant itself would take less time to build, but would depend on the completion of the tunnels to become operational.

Question: What does all of this information have to do with Maxlore?

Answer: Developing a new technology such as the hydrobore requires incredible resources allocated to research and development. Lacking those resources, we chose the Maxlore story as a method of popularizing the hydrobore idea in the hopes that someone with the means to develop the hydrobore would consider making such an investment. It is the support of concerned citizens and committed researchers that will propel energy producers towards a more responsible use of our natural resources.

Question: What differentiates the Maxlore hybrid plant from other power plants currently in use or in production?"

Answer:

• Use of artificial (hydrobore-drilled) well-tunnels.
• Substantially larger well-tunnels (up to 16 meters in diameter). These tunnels are made possible by the hydrobore drilling technology.
• Significantly greater power potential than current plants (as a result of larger-capacity tunnels).
• Fewer limitations on site-placement. Because the plant is not dependent on naturally-occuring reservoirs, it may be placed anywhere in proximity to the ocean.
• Use of ocean water (instead of naturally-occuring reservoir water) as heat conduit
• Desalination and recycling of steam into treated drinking water or fresh water reservoir
• Processing of waste-water into potential fertilizer and clean water
• Less-expensive method of energy production (large-scale plant)
• Lower operating temperatures and pressures than flash-steam plants
• Hybrid generation process combining flash steam and binary cycle technology