New Research Shows United States' Accessible Geothermal Energy is Enormous

A recent study performed by Southern Methodist University (SMU) shows the technical power potential of enhanced geothermal systems is immense.

Through its research, SMU was able to create the most data rich map of U.S. geothermal resources to date. According to the thermal data, the United States houses more than 2,980,295 megawatts of geothermal energy that could be harnessed using EGS and other advanced geothermal technologies.

It comes as no surprise that the majority of the capacity is located in the western half of the country. Nevada and Idaho each hold the most potential, while Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado each house significant resources.

In America's renewable energy sector, geothermal has been much slower in developing itself compared to the solar and wind industries. According to the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association there was 3,086 MW of installed geothermal power in America in 2010. This pales in comparison to installed wind and solar power. For example, as of June 2011 there was 42,432 MW of wind power in America.

There are several reasons for the slow development of the industry. A major contributing force, however, is technology. In 2009, EGS burst on to the scene as an advanced technology which would allow geothermal energy to be tapped at a groundbreaking rate. Both the public and private sector pumped money into EGS projects, but to date these projects appear to have raised more questions than solutions.

California-based advanced geothermal developer AltaRock has abandoned a project after it ran into drilling problems. EGS projects have also come into question about whether or not they induce earthquakes as a result of seismic shifts created by their drilling.

Nevertheless, geothermal energy offers an incredible baseload clean energy option as it does not rely on intermittent catalysts like sunshine or wind. Corporate giant Google, Inc. remains one of the biggest private-sector proponents of EGS technology. The company has invested nearly $11 million to help advance enhanced geothermal systems.

Silver State Dishing Out Golden Geothermal Power

Nevada is poised to lead in producing energy from geothermal heat sources in the entire US. Presently playing second fiddle to California, the day is not far off when it will overtake California in converting geothermal heat into electricity. Nevada is experiencing a rush of developers who have already companies producing power or with projects under development. Projects by people like Enel Green Power and Nevada Geothermal Power are fast putting the state on the road. Veterans and newbie’s vie with each other to start production.

Happening state:
Nevada has become a place where exciting things are happening. Mr. Karl Gawell, Executive Director, Geothermal Energy Association says, “Not only is the state doing well in terms of new projects under development, but utilities in Nevada have also learned to work with geothermal.”

Taking baby steps
Nevada is taking baby steps today to utilize the bounty of nature to the maximum. No doubt California still remains the top producer of power from geothermal heat with producing 2,500 megawatts. But Nevada is still only in the developing stage but the target is to surpass the golden state!

Projects on the anvil:
Considering the number of projects that are busy converting the geothermal heat to power, Nevada has been rightly acclaimed as the state with maximum number of geothermal plants under development. The 86 odd projects are gearing up to boost the capacity hypothetically by about 3686 megawatts maximum even exceeding the total need of US.

Better infrastructure – Nevada’s advantage:
Along with Mother Nature’s bounty with geothermal resources, the silver state has other advantages like well-informed and well-trained work force. The other attraction is the state’s decision to propose leasing the land through Bureau of Land Management. This has encouraged many to stake a claim.

California’s challenges – Nevada’s gain:
Some challenges like difficulty in power transmission, and stricter regulations that are present in California have made investment in Nevada look very advantageous. As Mr. Gawell said, “California has a lot of untapped resources, but it’s very difficult to develop anything there.”

A long way to go:
But there are enough challenges at hand for the pioneers who are trying to reap the geothermal boom. Geothermal energy conversion is a relatively new and still to be perfected science. Technology is yet to be mastered. Finding the exact site is more a wild guess rather than estimated and calculated certainty.

Future prospects:
Independently as per Geothermal Energy Association, Nevada has the potential to produce geothermal energy next only to Japan which is the eighth largest producer. Nevada alone is capable of producing 13% energy needs of the US. In future, it will certainly take up the position as US’ top producer of geothermal energy.

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Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy - It's All Location, Location, Location

1. The location must offer geothermal activity close by. Here is a quick lesson on the disadvantages of geothermal energy. Check out the picture below. Study it for a few minutes.

Do you see any lava flows or steam vents? Probably not. This is a picture of Amelia Island where I live.

There is no volcanic activity anywhere near this area.

So you see the big drawback to geothermal energy is that there must be hot rocks close enough to drill into in order to harness this energy. Not only do the rocks have to be hot, but they also must be suitable for drilling.

The rocks also must be close enough to be able to access. Not many areas are as fortunate as Iceland in this regard.

2. Geothermal activity is not always so faithful. Sometimes the geothermal activity takes a rest. it will be constant for several years and then stop for a few months. Hence, not all areas offer faithful heating resources.

3. You cannot transport geothermal energy. I used to live in the coal region of Pennsylvania. For years coal trucks used to drive by our front door hauling Anthracite coal to home and industries.

Coal cars a mile long along the railroad tracks were often times filled with King Coal to be shipped to the Reading Foundry. Can't do that with geothermal energy. It is only good where it is at. So the steam is utilized to run the generators to produce electricity. Another big one in the discussion of the disadvantages of geothermal energy.

4. There may be geothermal gases. Geothermal steam and hot water do contain naturally occurring traces of hydrogen sulfide (a gas that smells like rotten eggs) and other gases and chemicals that can be harmful in high concentrations.

Geothermal power plants use "scrubber" systems to clean the air of hydrogen sulfide and the other gases. Sometimes the gases are converted into marketable products, such as liquid fertilizer. Newer geothermal power plants can even inject these gases back into the geothermal wells.

For a good article to read on the disadvantages of geothermal energy, click here 5. Tectonic Activity. Usually where there is volcanic activity where you find geothermal energy, you will also find other types of tectonic activity such as earthquakes and also active volcanoes.

There have been cases where earthquakes have caused damage to the geothermal plants and/or caused disruption in the geothermal heat source. Click on the following link to learn more about alternative energy along with the disadvantages of geothermal energy

What is Geothermal Energy Advantages of Geothermal Energy

 

 

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Advantages of Geothermal Energy - What are the Advantages of Geothermal Energy?

Think of all the advantages of geothermal energy when you have a lava flow in your backyard. You could dry your clothes, warm your house and heat your water. Even cook dinner if you wanted. Well geothermal does help you do that without having to get so close to the source. if you are fortunate enough to live in an area with this geologic activity in play close under the surface of the Earth, you can harness this energy. Let's look at some of the advantages of geothermal energy.

1. No fuel is needed. For me to heat my home, I have to tap into the electric grid powered by Florida Power and Light. They get most of their electricity from The Power Plant that burns coal to run the generators. With geothermal energy, the fuel is already there. No need for coal or oil or wood.

2. No Pollution. Geothermal Energy produces no pollution. There are virtually no greenhouse gases given off. There is no pollution.

3.Relatively efficient. Geothermal energy is also very efficient, because after a site is located and a geothermal power plant is built, the efforts required to channel it are negligible.

You will also find there there is much less land impact when using geothermal plants. They usually are not as obtrusive as are nuclear or electric power plants.

4. Geothermal Energy is Renewable. Perhaps one of the most important advantage of geothermal energy is that, unlike energy derived from carbon-based sources, geothermal energy is a constant energy source. it will never run out. And because it is ubiquitous, its cost will never continue to rise with time.

So after you place your initial investment into researching the site and building the geothermal plant, your expenditures besides maintenance are nil. Virtually free energy from this point on.

If you would like to learn more about other alternative energy resources along with the advantages of geothermal energy, click here.

What is Geothermal Energy
Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy

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