Geothermal Digest » Research

Satellite data shows Rift Valley heat

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:01:32 +0000

The Earth-observing satellite Envisat belonging to the European Space Agency (ESA), headquartered in Paris, is providing insight as to the geothermal potential of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya as well as to the potential for dangerous volcanism. Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar interferograms (SAR Interferometry or InSAR) show small surface displacements that are not visible to the naked eye. A group of scientists employed the technique on more than a decade worth of radar images from ESA’s Envisat and ERS satellites to study volcanic activity in the Valley, which extends through Africa from Mozambique to Djibouti. Follow the link to see some of the results.

Research in Utah looks to use cooler resources

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:44:55 +0000

In Utah, the state has stepped up to support a bid for a $5 million DOE grant that would fund a study of the region’s low-temperature geothermal energy potential. PurpleEnergy of New Castle is looking for the grant and now has a letter of support from the Utah Generated Renewable Energy Electricity Network Authority Board. The company is working with the University of Utah’s Energy and Geoscience Institute in Phase I of study of its hybrid geothermal project. PurpleEnergy’s assessment of the thermal resources in the area suggests underground temperatures in the sub-300 degree Fahrenheit range.

Market research says GT power capacity to exceed 18.4 GW worldwide by 2015

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:02:40 +0000

In California, Global Industry Analysts, Inc. released a new research report that projects the global installed capacity for geothermal power generation will cross 18.4 GW by 2015. The company expects new technologies being developed for extracting, as well as utilizing geothermal energy will drive growth in new markets. The share of geothermal energy in the energy mix is expected to increase significantly, owing to increasing fuel prices. The global potential of conventional geothermal sources is estimated to be 70 GW. Conventional geothermal systems are used on worldwide basis; however increasing costs of drilling are affecting the economic viability of geothermal energy. Binary cycle technology is an improved technology that enables production of electricity by utilizing low temperature geothermal sources. The technology provides capabilities for producing geothermal energy in countries where primarily low temperature geothermal energy resources exist.

DOE funding underground energy-storage pilot project

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:19:27 +0000

In South Carolina, two Clemson University environmental engineers are developing ways to store “waste” energy underground to cut heating and cooling costs and reduce carbon emissions. Ron Falta and Fred Molz have received a $991,000 DOE grant to create a Subsurface Thermal Energy Storage (STES) system that can be used as a model for energy efficiency. Five military bases are being considered for the pilot project. The STES system differs from conventional geothermal heat pump designs in that it takes advantage of waste energy, such as heat produced in power production, to create an artificially hot zone beneath the surface. It would also use the natural winter chill to create an artificially cold subsurface zone.

University report says solar and wind alone can power Australia by 2020

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:15:49 +0000

In Australia, a new report finds that the country can generate 100% of its energy needs from solar and wind by 2020. The report ignored the potential of geothermal or wave energy, because it was considering only options that are currently commercially available at this time. The Stationary Energy Sector Report was released by Beyond Zero Emissions and Melbourne University’s Energy Research Institute. The plan calls for generating of 325TW hours of electricity a year, which is an increase of 97TW hours, accounting for demand increases, at an estimated cost of $37 billion a year.

UK geologists take lead on $4.2 million project

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:41:22 +0000

In Kansas, University of Kansas geologists have begun the first phase of a $4.2 million, three-year project that is supposed to make it easier and more profitable to power electric plants with geothermal energy. KU’s Department of Geology received $2.4 million in Department of Energy stimulus funding under its Innovative Exploration and Drilling Program. The rest came from the department and its collaborators, the University of Oklahoma and the Sierra Geothermal Power Corp. The project will use 3-D and 4-D thermochronometry and will integrate traditional geological methods with geophysical tools like seismic imaging. The team will create 3-D maps of the surface and subsurface and provide an assessment of the temperature history of the valley’s subsurface. This data will be used to find the best sites for test drilling.

Geothermal comes up “small” in energy land use study

admin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:52:54 +0000

In New Jersey, Rutgers University professor Clinton Andrews and his colleagues ran numbers on the land required to produce all forms of energy and concluded that their remain big challenges to renewable energy and land related to siting energy facilities, particularly transmission lines. Geothermal facilities, however, landed in the small footprint category, along with solar thermal, natural gas, nuclear and coal. Although only suitable for certain places, geothermal is a good candidate for expansion because geothermal plants have about the same footprint as oil and gas drilling, since they all use much of the same technology, Andrews said.

CanGEA compiles member projects database

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:28:53 +0000

In Canada, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) has released a database of member projects. The report outlines all the various CanGEA member projects under development around the world. According to the report CanGEA members are currently working on more than 70 projects under development representing more than 1,400 MW, and nearly 2,000 MW of installed geothermal capacity. The projects listed span four continents and eleven countries giving CanGEA members a truly global reach in their operations. Follow the links for a copy of the report.

Geothermal energy now touches 52 million worldwide

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:26:56 +0000

In Washington, D.C., the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) released its latest International Geothermal Power Production Update, and the association says that geothermal power now has over 10,000 MW installed and reaches more than 52 million people. Overall, power online has risen 20% since a 2005 International Geothermal Association report. The top 24 countries in GT power production are listed and the U.S. leads with 3,086 MW, followed by the Philippines and Indonesia. Curiously, in a complete misread, a Philippines publication claimed that the report has the country leapfrogging the U.S. to become the world’s top producer of geothermal power. The report says only that the Philippine government has set that goal, but if both countries follow through with current development, the U.S. will remain well ahead for the foreseeable future.

UNR gets DOE grant for geothermal institute

admin — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:09:38 +0000

In Nevada, the University of Nevada, Reno, announced a $1.2 million DOE grant to develop and operate the National Geothermal Institute. The institute will actually be a consortium of geothermal schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell, Stanford, the Oregon Institute of Technology and the University of Utah. UNR officials say the institute will provide research and augment work at UNR’s Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy. All the schools in the consortium conduct geothermal research and education, but none is able to provide a geothermal degree program on its own. Officials say the new venture will effectively be the first university training program of its kind in the country.