U.S. report looks at potential for geothermal energy

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, US, January 31, 2007 (Refocus Weekly) Geothermal could provide much of the world's energy, according to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Geothermal energy is a largely untapped and inexhaustible clean resource that could reduce reliance on fossil fuels, explains an 18-member panel in the 372-page report, ‘The Future of Geothermal Energy.’ The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and is the first study in 30 years to examine geothermal energy.

Mining the heat that resides as stored thermal energy in the earth's hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of U.S. electricity in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact, it explains. The study assessed the feasibility, environmental impacts and economic viability of enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technology to increase the fraction of the geothermal resource that could be recovered commercially.

“We've determined that heat mining can be economical in the short term, based on a global analysis of existing geothermal systems, an assessment of the total U.S. resource and continuing improvements in deep-drilling and reservoir stimulation technology,” says panel head Jefferson Tester of MIT. “EGS technology has already been proven to work in the few areas where underground heat has been successfully extracted and further technological improvements can be expected.”

The panel of experts recommends more detailed and site-specific assessments of the geothermal resource, and five-year field trials at several sites to demonstrate commercial-scale engineered geothermal systems. Shallow, extra-hot, high-grade deposits in the west should be explored and tested first, while other geothermal resources such as co-produced hot water associated with oil and gas production and geopressured resources should also be pursued as short-term options, they conclude.

On a longer time scale, deeper, lower-grade geothermal deposits should be explored and tested, and local and national policies should be enacted that encourage geothermal development. They also call for a multi-year research program exploring subsurface science and geothermal drilling and energy conversion, backed by constant analysis of results.

The rising costs of fossil fuels and concerns over energy security and climate change issues make drilling wells more cost efficient and appealing to investors, the group explains. While most of the geothermal resources are in the western U.S., there are hot spots across the country, with the largest projects in California, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada while eastern states have been largely untapped.


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