Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Market changes and an investment of $800 million to $1 billion over 15 years could bring more than 100 GW of geothermal energy to the US grid by 2050, according to a study recently released by a multi-disciplinary research group at MIT. That investment, is less than the cost of a single “new generation” coal-powered plant, and the amount of energy is equivalent to 200 coal-fired power plants or 100 new nuclear power plants.
A new 322-page study, Geothermal Energy Resource Potential of Canada, characterizes Canada’s (in-place) geothermal potential as exceeding, by one million times, the country’s current electrical consumption.
The process for creating geothermal wells is very similar to that used for extracting oil and gas, at least in the initial phases.
This is the third, and final part of my interview with Richard Zehner, president and director of Caldera Geothermal Inc.
Robert Gluck: Why are U.S Department of Energy grants so important to the geothermal industry?
Klamath Falls, a small town in southern Oregon, is and has been using geothermal energy directly to supply heat for a district heating system since the early 1990's.
The Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) recently announced the initiation of the GTP Projects Database.
Despite the recession, U.S. Geothermal energy capacity expanded by a robust six percent in 2009, due to six new geothermal plants which came online, adding 176.68 megawatts (MW) of capacity.
The New York Times has reported that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to set up more stringent regulations governing enhanced geothermal projects.
For the last two weeks much of the world has been caught up in the happenings of the largest international conference on climate change ever held. Since the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen is stealing all the headlines, most people, with the exception of the super infatuated clean-techies, have missed out on the latest developments in the clean energy universe.
Geothermal energy offers a great deal of potential for renewable energy. But, the costs of drilling can make geothermal energy less than cost-effective.
