DOE funds 3-D mapping and modelling research to benefit EGS

In California, USC Viterbi School of Engineering professor Fred Aminzadeh and his colleagues will get a $1.5 million DOE grant for a 2-year research project that will study 3-D geothermal mapping and modeling. The researchers hope to develop new methodologies to characterize the northwestern part of the Geysers geothermal reservoir with an immediate focus on creating improved methods for better characterization of fractures in an enhanced geothermal system (EGS). The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Geysers Power Co., the operator of existing geothermal power plants in the area.