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Free energy from the earth. Geothermal energy can be tapped either at or near the surface, or from magma miles below the Earth's surface.

Geothermal Energy Market Potential - A newly-released report by Research and Markets explores the factors associated with utilizing the actual potential of geothermal energy, covering all the technological details, along with issues and challenges faced during the utilization of geothermal energy. The report covers major projects, power plants, players in the industry, including U.S. government role. (Business Wire; July 5, 2007)

Contents

Overviews

      "Another way of getting motive power without consuming any material would be to utilize the heat contained in the earth, the water, or the air for driving an engine. The difficulties of sinking shafts and placing boilers at depths of, say, twelve thousand feet, corresponding to an increase in temperature of about 120º C, are not insuperable, and we could certainly avail ourselves in this way of the internal heat of the globe. [The] internal heat of the earth is great and, in comparison with the demands which man can make upon it, is practically inexhaustible; sine the heat contents of the earth are sextrillions of tons." -- Nikola Tesla ("Our future motive power"; Everyday Science and Mechanics; Dec. 1931)
  • A Groundswell for Geothermal - Though the US is the world’s largest producer of geothermal electricity, generating an average of 16-billion kWh of energy per year, this is still only a fraction of what it could be producing. There is virtually no area of the country where geothermal cannot be used. (Distributed Energy; May/June 2008)
  • CalEnergy Presents a Virtual Geothermal Plant Tour - Geothermal power plants use the natural heat of the earth to generate electricity for homes and businesses. CalEnergy Generation facilities generate more than 1,290 megawatts of electric power and steam-producing facilities in the United States and the Philippines.

PES Network Coverage

  • Top 100 / Featured:  Geothermal >
    Interview with Raser About Their Cost-Effective Geothermal Power - Company has a rapid-deployment capability for low-heat geothermal energy. The geothermal pipes are in a closed loop, tied to a heat exchanger that heats a refrigerant which runs a turbine, in a reverse-refrigeration system, generating electricity in a cost-effective manner. (PESN; Sept. 4, 2008)
  • MIT Releases Major Report on Geothermal Energy (Sat., Jan. 27, 6:00 - 6:55 pm Eastern, live) - 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. (PESN; Jan. 22, 2007)
  • Converting Abandoned Oil Wells to Geothermal Plants - Drilling costs have made many geothermal projects uneconomical. A solution is found in the fact that among the over one million abandoned oil and gas wells around the world, many contain hot water that can be used to generate electricity or hydraulic power.
  • Ground Source Heat Pumps - Ground source heat pumps (aka Geothermal Heat Pumps) "extract stored solar energy from the ground to run a home's central heating, and can cost as little as an oil-fired boiler to install. Widely used in the rural US, they produce three or four units of heat for every unit of electricity they use, and can be reversed to provide cooling."

Companies

  • Power Tube - Argus is a clean energy, closed loop, geomagmatic, renewable power plant that can produce up to 10 megawatts of electricity. It differs from a standard geothermal system in that it does not need water or steam pressure to operate. It uses only low to medium temperature heat from the earth, 110-200 C, to heat an isopentane/isobutane working fluid mixture. Skeptic's comment
  • CalEnergy Generation - CalEnergy Generation facilities generate more than 1,290 megawatts of electric power and steam-producing facilities in the United States and the Philippines. See virtual plant tour.
  • enercret - Uses thermo-active foundations and floor slabs to absorb thermal energy from the ground and ground water for geothermal heating and cooling of buildings. The energy is transported by fluid-filled pipe systems incorporated inside the foundation elements. A building can be cooled for next to nothing and heated by means of a heat pump.
  • Geodynamics - Exploring Hot Dry Rock geothermal energy using heat extracted from buried hot granite by circulating water through an artificial underground heat exchange reservoir. A 40 MW power station is planned following reservoir testing.
  • Global Energy Supply Organization - Advanced vertical tunnels can harvest safely and more inexpensive with high production rates at almost any location the natural heat beneath our feet. Tiefengeothermie is the only inexpensive, safe, sustainable and clean Energy source.
  • Kelix Heat Transfer Systems - The Spiralex system is 30% more efficient than conventional U-tube loop ground heat exchangers. Material cost is reduced and drilling cost is cut to one third of conventional, while providing a more efficient system.
  • Mannvit Engineering - Mannvit Engineering was involved in the development and construction of the world’s first geothermal power station utilizing Kalina technology in Iceland and offers comprehensive consulting and engineering services in the Geothermal development field.
  • Nevada Geothermal Inc - Feature page discusses what geothermal is, where the company has installations, who's involved, some politics, and financial info.
  • Ormat Technologies - The Ormat Energy Converter (OEC) is a power generation unit which converts low and medium temperature heat into electrical energy using the Organic Rankine Cycle. Ormat has manufactured more than 750 MW of geothermal power plants, and also uses the OEC to generate power from exhaust heat recovery in energy-intensive industrial processes.
  • Puna Geothermal - Provides 25% of Hawaii's energy needs.PGV is in the Puna District of Hawaii Island. It is located 21 miles south of Hilo. PGV has been quietly producing geothermal-generated electricity for Hawaii Electric Light Company for years, working to be a good neighbor, and a steady supplier of power. Since becoming part of Ormat, a company with considerable depth in geothermal knowledge, PGV has undergone substantial upgrades.
  • UTC Power - The PureCycle® geothermal system can operate on a wide range of resource temperatures starting as low as 165°F (74°C). This enables geothermal wells deemed unproductive because they are below 300°F (149°C) to become viable energy sources once again.
  • U.S. Geothermal - Renewable energy development company that currently owns and leases approximately 8.2 square miles of land located at Raft River, Idaho USA. This property contains a proven geothermal reservoir that is verified by GeothermEx Inc. to be capable of up to 110 MW.
  • Western GeoPower - Developing the South Meager Geothermal Project, located 170 km northwest of Vancouver, as Canada's first commercial geothermal power facility, with a potential of 100 MW to 250 MW of electricity generating capacity.

Tools

  • Hydro-thermal Spalling - Potter Drilling’s technology differs from prior air based techniques in that it uses hot fluid rather than air to spall rock. Because spallation occurs in a water filled borehole, Potter Drilling’s technology can be used to drill to depths required for universal EGS (12,000 to 30,000 feet). (Flash animation in link) (Oct 10, 2008)

Around the World

  • Ten-Year Renewable Energy Plan >
    Onshore Energy Security Program - The Onshore Energy Security Program (OESP), implemented by the Australian Government as part of a broader package of energy initiatives in 2006, is a five-year program designed to deliver reliable, precompetitive geoscience data and scientifically based assessments of the potential for onshore energy resources, including oil, gas, hot rocks (geothermal energy), uranium and thorium. 5-year plan 21-page PDF (Geoscience Australia; Dec. 1, 2008)
  • Massive clean energy reserves found - Queensland, Australia has struck yet another bonanza with the discovery of an enormous reservoir Millungera Basin of zero-emission coal seam gas in hot fractured rock ( HFR), 100km east of the outback town of Cloncurry. (The Australian; July 21, 2008)
  • Norway is Hydrogen Haven - Sitting atop one of the world's most active volcano fields, the Nordic nation has more readily available, renewable energy resources than any other place on Earth. And by tapping into those hydro and geothermal sources, Iceland hopes to become the world's first hydrogen economy. (AOL; June 16, 2006)
  • Australia Pushes Geothermal Energy - Several Australian firms are currently experimenting with tapping the country's vast geothermal energy using the "dry rock" approach. (Slashdot; Nov. 2005)
  • Geothermal power 'faces many challenges', says minister - The Australian Federal Government says the geothermal industry still needs to prove that it can generate electricity from hot, underground rocks. One company, Geodynamics, is about to start drilling, and says it should be able to prove within a year that its system works. (ABC News; Aug. 1, 2007)
  • Geothermal Energy Capacity in Vietnam and Elsewhere - Humankind is tapping only a small fraction of available geothermal sources. Costs about 1.5 times more than hydro, but installs faster and has less impact on environment. (Alt-Energy-Blog; June 7, 2005)
  • Nicaraguan Geothermal Project Prepares to Go Online - Final testing of the steamfield, which encompasses production wells, above ground piping and separation equipment, the re-injection systems and associated control systems; the substation; and the transmission line. (Renewable Energy Access; New York; April 18, 2005)

In the News

  • 5 Ways Geothermal Power is Heating Up Around the World - Geothermal power is the poor cousin of higher profile renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. It doesn’t seem to be a question of geothermal’s potential, but its amount of publicity. Here’s a roundup of what’s heating up in geothermal power around the world. (TreeHugger; Sept. 3, 2008)
  • Google is Now America's Largest Investor In Geothermal Research - Google, which has an interest in affordable power to run its growing numbers of server farms, is heavily investing (through Google.org) in research into the development of geothermal power. In the US, Google is the largest funding source for geothermal research. (EcoGeek; Aug. 30, 2008)
  • New Geothermal Technology Could Tap 120,000MW of Energy - Raser Technologies and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson broke ground on New Mexico’s first geothermal power plant at Lightning Dock near Animas, NM. The new plant will incorporate an innovative binary liquid technology that allows it to make use of the site’s low levels of geothermal energy. (Inhabitat; Aug. 28, 2008)
  • Blue Mountain Geothermal Project' - NGP is on track to complete the 49.5 MW Blue Mountain Faulkner I project, including resource drilling, transmission line installation, and pipeline and power plant construction by December 31, 2009. (Video) (Nevada Geothermal; Aug. 27, 2008)


  • In the Push for Alternative Energy, What Happened to Geothermal? - Today, geothermal provides about 5 percent of the country's energy, compared with about 3 percent for wind and 1 percent for solar. And there is some reason to be optimistic. Private investment is up, domestic use is steadily growing, and soaring energy prices have made previously prohibitive start-up costs economical. (US News; July 21, 2008)
  • A Groundswell for Geothermal - “If you’re going to spend the money on solar, you're probably better off to spend some of what you would have spent for solar, on geothermal and, therefore, lower the total energy cost. There is virtually no area of the country where geothermal cannot be used." (Distributed Energy; May/June 2008)
  • Paris’ Orly First European Airport to Use Geothermal Heating - Orly Airport has recently announced that it plans to provide more than a third of its heating needs via geothermal energy. Slated for completion in 2011, the $17 million dollar project will cut annual CO2 emissions by 7,000 tons from the current level of 20,000 tons. (Inhabitat; April 9, 2008)
  • Model for improving geothermal power - Research shows that a combination of experimental field work and geochemical modeling programs can provide accurate indicators of the impact of silica scaling in geothermal wells, one of the biggest problems plaguing the industry. The findings may help to control silica scaling at geothermal power plants to reduce the cost of maintenance. (PhysOrg; Mar. 13, 2007)
  • GeoPower In The Oil Sands - Major oil companies have formed a consortium called GeoPower In The Oil Sands (GeoPOS) that is exploring using heat in the Earth's crust as a clean alternative to natural gas for oil sands production. Heat in the granite rock that lies 500 metres below could supply enough hot water and steam to extract oil from the tarry sands. (Clean Break; Feb. 10, 2007)
  • "Hot Rocks" for Home Energy - Geothermal power, a renewable energy source that has been largely ignored in the United States, can supply a significant share of the country’s future energy needs, according to a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study. The study notes that by investing some $1 billion over 15 years—less than the cost of building a single clean-coal power plant—geothermal energy could power about 25 million U.S. homes by 2050. (WorldChanging; Jan. 31, 2007)
  • Nevada to quadruple geothermal power - A new report from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) says Nevada is on track to be producing over 1000 MW of geothermal power - quadrupling its current output - over the next 3 to 5 years. This level of geothermal production could meet roughly 25% of the state's total power needs, according to the authors. (Inside Greentech; December 22, 2006)
  • US Geothermal Power Expanding Dramatically - Some 58 new geothermal energy projects are now under development in the US, the most since the 1980s. They would almost double US geothermal capacity, adding 2,250 megawatts of electricity which would serve the needs of 1.8 million households. (Geothermal Energy Association; November 9, 2006)
  • Geothermal Power: Fort Knox's Buried Treasure - Trane has installed the world’s biggest geothermal heating and cooling system at Fort Knox that has cut base energy expenditures by 20%, reduced natural gas consumption to zero and cut emissions by a third. Trane bored 685 geothermal holes up to 500 feet into the earth that is a constant 57 degrees year around, keeping Fort Knox cool on hot summer days and warm in the winter. (Forbes.com; October 09, 2006)
  • Tesla-Turbines for Geothermal Energy - Former Rockwell Engineer Jeff Hayes discusses how [[Directory:Tesla Turbines|Tesla Turbines] can be used to tap geothermal energy from underground salt-brine. The Salton Sea in California contains enough geothermal energy to meet the entire electrical needs of the United States 20 times over. Recent refinements in the Tesla Turbine have given this approach new hope. Video link (American Antigravity; August 17, 2006)

Research & Development

  • A Googol of Heat Beneath Our Feet - Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS produces heat and electricity by harnessing the energy from hot rock deep below the earth's surface, expanding the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. EGS is a big challenge, but with the potential to power the world many times over, it demands our immediate attention. At Google, they've launched an effort ($10 million) to advance EGS through R&D, investment, policy and information. YouTube (Google; Aug. 18, 2008)
  • MIT Releases Major Report on Geothermal Energy - 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. (PESN; Jan. 22, 2007)
  • Helium Leads to Geothermal Energy Resources - two U.S. researchers have found a new method which doesn't require drilling. They are using the ratio of helium isotopes in surface waters to point to the best sources of geothermal energy. (EurekAlert; Nov. 30, 2007) (See Slashdot discussion)
  • Abundant Power from Universal Geothermal Energy - An MIT chemical engineer explains why new technologies could finally make "heat mining" practical nearly anywhere on earth by making artificial reservoirs for harvesting the earth’s heat. (MIT Technology Review; Aug. 1, 2006)
  • The Potential of Geothermal Power - The concept is simple to understand: earth's core heat transforms water into steam, which in turn causes a turbine to revolve. Scientists say this geothermal energy, clean, quiet and virtually inexhaustible, could fill the world's annual needs 250,000 times over with nearly zero impact on the climate or the environment. (Yahoo! News; Aug. 4, 2007)
  • Geothermal power – clean, silent electricity from out of the ground - An overview of geothermal energy methods and developments worldwide. "The optimum way of accessing this energy at the moment is Hot Dry Rock (HDR) or Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) technology." (Engineer Live; May 22, 2006)
  • Geothermal Energy 2005 in Review, 2006 Outlook - In 2005, a wave of new power production contracts were signed, new direct use projects were underway, federal tax and regulatory laws were substantially enhanced to promote geothermal development, and a series of other events boosted prospects for expanded geothermal energy production in the U.S. (Renewable Energy Access; Jan. 5, 2006)
  • Geothermal Could Meet 6% of U.S. Electrical Needs by 2025 - Geothermal resources could supply more than 30,000 MW of power by 2025, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) told the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee earlier this week. (Renewable Energy Access; May 3, 2006)

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