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CAMBRIDGE, MASS., USA -- A comprehensive new MIT-led study of the potential for
geothermal energy within the United States has found that mining the huge
amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the Earth's hard rock
crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States
will need in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal
environmental impact.
An 18-member panel led by MIT prepared the 400-plus page study, titled "The
Future of Geothermal Energy." Sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Energy, it is the first study in some 30 years to take a new look at geothermal,
an energy resource that has been largely ignored.
The goal of the study was to assess the feasibility, potential environmental
impacts and economic viability of using enhanced geothermal system (EGS)
technology to greatly increase the fraction of the U.S. geothermal resource that
could be recovered commercially.
Although geothermal energy is produced commercially today, and the United States
is the world's biggest producer, existing U.S. plants have focused on the
high-grade geothermal systems primarily located in isolated regions of the west.
This new study takes a more ambitious look at this resource and evaluates its
potential for much larger-scale deployment.
"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," said panel head Jefferson W. Tester, the H. P.
Meissner Professor of Chemical Engineering at 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," he said.
The expert panel offers a number of recommendations to develop geothermal as a
major electricity supplier for the nation. These include more detailed and
site-specific assessments of the U.S. geothermal resource and a multiyear
federal commitment to demonstrate the concept in the field at commercial scale.
The new assessment of geothermal energy by energy experts, geologists, drilling
specialists and others is important for several key reasons, Tester said.
First, fossil fuels--coal, oil and natural gas--are increasingly expensive and
consumed in ever-increasing amounts. Second, oil and gas imports from foreign
sources raise concerns over long-term energy security. Third, burning fossil
fuels dumps carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Finally,
heat mining has the potential to supply a significant amount of the country's
electricity currently being generated by conventional fossil fuel, hydroelectric
and nuclear plants.
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The study shows that drilling several wells to reach hot rock and connecting
them to a fractured rock region that has been stimulated to let water flow
through it creates a heat-exchanger that can produce large amounts of hot water
or steam to run electric generators at the surface. Unlike conventional
fossil-fuel power plants that burn coal, natural gas or oil, no fuel would be
required. And unlike wind and solar systems, a geothermal plant works night and
day, offering a non-interruptible source of electric power.
Prof. Tester and panel member David Blackwell, professor of geophysics at
Southern Methodist University in Texas, also point out that geothermal resources
are available nationwide, although the highest-grade sites are in western
states, where hot rocks are closer to the surface, requiring less drilling and
thus lowering costs.
The panel also evaluated the environmental impacts of geothermal development,
concluding that these are "markedly lower than conventional fossil-fuel and
nuclear power plants."
"This environmental advantage is due to low emissions and the small overall
footprint of the entire geothermal system, which results because energy capture
and extraction is contained entirely underground, and the surface equipment
needed for conversion to electricity is relatively compact," Tester said.
The report also notes that meeting water requirements for geothermal plants may
be an issue, particularly in arid regions. Further, the potential for seismic
risk needs to be carefully monitored and managed.
According to panel member M. Nafi Toksφz, professor of geophysics at MIT,
"geothermal energy could play an important role in our national energy
picture as a non-carbon-based energy source. It's a very large resource and has
the potential to be a significant contributor to the energy needs of this
country." Toksφz added that the electricity produced annually by
geothermal energy systems now in use in the United States at sites in
California, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada is comparable to that produced by solar and
wind power combined. And the potential is far greater still, since hot rocks
below the surface are available in most parts of the United States.
Even in the most promising areas, however, drilling must reach depths of 5,000
feet or more in the west, and much deeper in the eastern United States. Still,
"the possibility of drilling into these rocks, fracturing them and pumping
water in to produce steam has already been shown to be feasible," Toksφz
said.
Panel member Brian Anderson, an assistant professor at West Virginia University,
noted that the drilling and reservoir technologies used to mine heat have many
similarities to those used for extracting oil and gas. As a result, the
geothermal industry today is well connected technically to two industry giants
in the energy arena, oil and gas producers and electric power generators. With
increasing demand for technology advances to produce oil and gas more
effectively and to generate electricity with minimal carbon and other emissions,
an opportunity exists to accelerate the development of EGS by increased
investments by these two industries.
Government-funded research into geothermal was very active in the 1970s and
early 1980s. As oil prices declined in the mid-1980s, enthusiasm for alternative
energy sources waned, and funding for research on renewable energy and energy
efficiency (including geothermal) was greatly reduced, making it difficult for
geothermal technology to advance. "Now that energy concerns have
resurfaced, an opportunity exists for the U.S. to pursue the EGS option
aggressively to meet long-term national needs," Tester observed.
Tester and colleagues emphasize that federally funded engineering research and
development must still be done to lower risks and encourage investment by early
adopters. Of particular importance is to demonstrate that EGS technology is
scalable and transferable to sites in different geologic settings.
In its report, the panel recommends that:
# # #
About this study:
In addition to Tester, Blackwell, Toksφz and Anderson, members of the
geothermal panel include: Geomechanics expert Anthony Batchelor, managing
director of GeoScience Ltd. in the United Kingdom; reservoir engineer Roy Baria
from the United Kingdom; geophysicists Maria Richards and Petru Negraru of
Southern Methodist University; mechanical engineer Ronald DiPippo, an emeritus
professor at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth; risk analyst
Elisabeth Drake of MIT; chemist John Garnish, former director of geothermal
programs of the European Commission; drilling expert Bill Livesay; economist
Michal Moore of the University of Calgary in Canada, former California energy
commissioner and chief economist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory;
commercial power conversion engineer Kenneth Nichols; geothermal industry expert
Susan Petty; and petroleum engineering consultant Ralph Veatch Jr. Additional
project support came from Chad Augustine, Enda Murphy and Gwen Wilcox at MIT.
SOURCES:
This story has received wide coverage, of which the following is a sampling.
|
 |
(List garnered from Google News search: Geothermal
MIT.)
Geothermal
energy potential studied
United Press International -
The MIT-led international study also suggests such mining of
heat stored as thermal energy in the Earth's hard rock crust would have minimal
environmental ...
US
urged to ramp up geothermal power
Reuters.uk, UK -
"This is a big resource that is perhaps undervalued by
people who are thinking of options for the country," said Jefferson Tester,
an MIT chemical ...
Oil
News Roundup
Wall Street Journal
(subscription), NY -
Using Earth's Heat: A new MIT study suggests geothermal
energy could satisfy 10% of US energy needs by 2050. SCHLUMBERGER'S NET SOARS:
On the back of hefty ...
US
urged to ramp up geothermal power
Boston Globe, MA -
"This is a big resource that is perhaps undervalued by
people who are thinking of options for the country," said Jefferson Tester,
an MIT chemical ...
Geothermal
energy gathering steam
Marketplace, CA -
SAM EATON: It's called geothermal energy, and a team of MIT
scientists have come out with the first comprehensive study to assess the
technology's potential ...
MIT-led
panel backs "heat mining" as key US energy source
People's Daily Online, China -
A comprehensive new MIT-led study released Monday has found that
mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the
Earth's hard ...
Consider
geothermal energy, US advised
CBC Manitoba, Canada -
Geothermal energy is practical, economical and environmentally
cleaner than other forms of energy, a US panel led by experts from the
Massachusetts ...
Geothermal
energy potential studied
Monsters and Critics.com, UK -
CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States (UPI) -- Massachusetts Institute of
Technology scientists say geothermal energy can supply much of the United
States` electric ...
US
urged to dig deep for solution to energy problems
Shanghai Daily, China -
MINING heat stored in rocks underground could meet a growing
portion of electricity demand in the United States, replacing aging nuclear and
coal plants ...
MIT
releases major report on geothermal energy
innovations report, Germany -
According to panel member M. Nafi Toksφz, professor of
geophysics at MIT, "geothermal energy could play an important role in our
national energy picture as ...
Geothermal
Energy Potential Studied
Playfuls.com, Romania -
The MIT-led international study also suggests such mining of
heat stored as thermal energy in the Earth's hard rock crust would have minimal
environmental ...
Geothermal
energy could cut US oil demand
Mongabay.com -
Geothermal energy could eventually power some 25 million homes
across the United States at a cost of $40 million per year according to a
Department of ...
US
urged to ramp up geothermal power
TVNZ, New Zealand -
"This is a big resource that is perhaps undervalued by
people who are thinking of options for the country," said Jefferson Tester,
an MIT chemical ...
MIT-led
study finds geothermal energy potential untapped
ZDNet -
By Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com. A study led by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has concluded that geothermal energy is a
largely untapped ...
MIT-Led
Study Says Geothermal Energy Is Viable
Slashdot -
amigoro writes to tell us about a study for the US Department of
Energy, led by MIT, indicating that geothermal energy could account for 10% of
energy ...
Hot
New Study: Earth's Heat Can Power Our Future
LiveScience.com, NY -
By Charles Q. Choi. The extraordinary amount of heat seething
below the Earth's hard rocky crust could help supply the United States with a
significant ...
Geothermal
energy potential studied
Earthtimes.org -
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 22 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
scientists say geothermal energy can supply much of the United States' electric
needs at ...
US
urged to ramp up geothermal power
Scientific American -
By Jason Szep. BOSTON (Reuters) - Mining heat stored in rocks in
the Earth's crust could meet a growing portion of US electricity demand,
replacing aging ...
MIT
releases major report on geothermal energy
PhysOrg.com, VA -
According to panel member M. Nafi Toksφz, professor of
geophysics at MIT, "geothermal energy could play an important role in our
national energy picture as ...
MIT
study: Get more energy from Earth's heat
MSNBC -
An 18-member panel led by MIT has prepared the first study in
some 30 years to take a new look at the largely ignored area of geothermal
energy. ...
See also
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| Page posted by Sterling
D. Allan Jan. 22, 2007 Last updated February 04, 2007 |
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