New Report Finds Huge Power Potential in Geothermal Resources

The thermal energy stored in the Earth's crust could be converted into electricity to provide a substantial portion of future U.S. power needs, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact, according to a new study, MIT press release, full report (14 MB pdf), sponsored by DOE and led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A 21-member expert panel released a report that examines the potential to tap into the heat in Earth's crust and convert it into electricity. The report found the potential to generate 100,000 megawatts of power from geothermal resources within 50 years. That's roughly one-tenth of the total generating capacity that exists in the United States today.

While today's geothermal power plants draw from underground reservoirs of hot, permeable rock containing significant amounts of water or steam, the MIT-led panel specifically examined enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technology, which involves creating such geothermal reservoirs in areas that lack either the water or the permeability, or both. Such technologies were previously tested by DOE in New Mexico and are currently being explored in Europe and Australia. See my previous post and the EGS technology description on the DOE Geothermal Program Web site.

Thanks in part to advances in drilling technologies for the oil and gas industries, the process of drilling deep into the crust to access hot, hard layers of rock and pumping water in to "stimulate" the reservoir—opening up cracks in the rock to allow water to permeate through—has already been proven. The report recommends more detailed and site-specific assessments of the U.S. geothermal resource, followed by several field trials at prime locations that would run for three to five years as a demonstration of the EGS technology.

EGS technology offers a huge expansion to the possible locations that can use geothermal energy and is a promising technology for the relatively long term. While conventional geothermal can continue to be a growing part of our renewabole energy potfolio now, EGS will take at least 15 years to fully develop and require a modest $1 billion investment over that time period, an investment that should be made.  It is important that we make this investment because it is a low cost way to increase our energy indepence in a renewable way that can reduce the need for new fossil fuel and nuclear plants.

I am late on reporting on this potentially breakthrough technology, but is so important that it deserves a great deal of attention. Clean Break has a good blog on the subject and Atlantic Geothermal has a list of all the blogs that have been made on the subject.

Comments

[Doug]

While it may help for a while, please remember that GT energy is not renewable, at least on human timescales. It amounts to heat mining the earth's crust.

[Clint LeRoy]

Back in the seventies and eighties the Oil companies knew there would be interest in this area of energy. So the Oil Companies purchased all the rights to the existing known geothermal sites. If you are interested in details there was a write up a few months ago stating the same content I am providing as to whom owned the rights to each geothermal port and the land around each port. Smart investing on the Oil Companies, bad news for the global environment.

[amazingdrx]

Unless the water is recycled by condensation of the steam, geothermal is too expensdive in terms of water use. aquifer depletion, and pollution.

Water recycling would most likely make this source too expensive, just as actual sequestration of cO2 by pumping it underground would make clean coal too expensive.

And the total 10% of present generating capacity doesn't even make this worth the effort. It's another boondoggle like fuel farming. An excuse to divert resources that would otherwise go to replace the ICE and oil consumption.

On the other hand, geothermal for heating/cooling could save around half of our present generating capacity. That's the right way to use geothermal. But for the most part government and indiustry are not interested.

It's a technology with no big lobbying behind it. Instead funds and attention are diverted away from it by industries that make more money as energy demand rises.

Wind power can provide the other half of needed generating capacity with biogas from waste used in fuel cells for backup. MIT has been consistently less than helpful in most of its recent energy/climate change efforts, with the exception of the A123 battery.

This is dissappointing considering MIT's key role during WW2. Why not join the fight MIT? Break free of your corporate overlords.

[heating]

If you have looked into solar energy as a method for heating your home, panels are usually the first things that come up.

There are, however, other unique methods.

The Solar Heating Aspect You Have Never Heard of Before

The power of the sun is immense. The energy in one day of sunlight is more than the world needs. The problem, of course,

is how does one harness this power. Solar panels represent the obvious solution, but they have their downside. First,

they can be expensive depending upon your energy needs. Second, they do not exactly blend in with the rest of your home.

Passive solar heating represents a panel free method of harnessing the inherent energy found in the sun for heating

purposes. If you come out from a store and open the door of your car in the summer, you understand the concept of passive

solar heating. A wide variety of material absorbs sunlight and radiates the energy back into the air in the form of heat.

Passive solar heating for a home works the same way as the process which overheats your car in the parking lot.