Geothermal Energy - Geothermal systems technology

Geothermal Resources Council With the experience and dedication of its diverse membership bolstering a 25-year track record, the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) has built a solid reputation as one of the world's premier geothermal associations. Indeed, the Council serves as a focal point for continuing professional development for its members through its many outreach, information transfer and education services.

International Geothermal Association

Sandia Geothermal Research Department

Geothermal Data Page

Geothermal Education Office exists to ascertain that citizens of both today and tomorrow understand what geothermal energy is, what it can do, and its growing place in providing the clean energy necessary to protect our environment while providing needed power

Geothermal education office : links to other great websites

The SMU Geothermal Laboratory is an educational/ research arm of the Department of Geological Sciences at Southern Methodist University. The Geothermal Laboratory measures parameters relating to the thermal field of the Earth such as temperature as a function of depth, thermal conductivity of rocks, and the radioactive heat generated by naturally occurring U, Th, and K.

We apply these observations to find solutions for geologic problems such as: geothermal resources -- exploration and evaluation of both high and low temperature geothermal systems; plate tectonics behavior -- temperature limits of earthquakes and fluid flow in the crust; and the mapping of Earth's thermal properties at the surface and subsurface levels.

Energy & Geoscience Institute of University of Utah is a not-for-profit research organization with a 25-year record of conducting multidisciplinary projects worldwide.

Through cooperative agreements with universities and research institutes, government agencies and laboratories, and national energy companies worldwide, the Institute undertakes a broad range of projects on all seven continents.

For over 30 years, the Geothermal Group at EGI has been engaged in conducting basic and applied geoscientific research for the geothermal, petroleum, and mining industries, government agencies, and international organizations.

EGI's geothermal group can also assist companies in developing and managing both high and low temperature resources through R&D to uncover the causes of particular industry problems. Browse our capabilities, resources, and expertise for details and ways to get involved.

Institute for Energy Research (Geothermal energy)

"Geothermal energy is harnessed from the natural heat of the Earth. In some cases, this means tapping extremely hot temperatures via steam at great depths. In others, it involves the use of moderate temperatures at shallow depths. These are known as "heat sinks" and are valuable for their use in creating energy.

Geothermal energy is gaining support as a potential contributor to meeting the growing energy needs of our nation. Today, however, geothermal energy only provides about two-tenths of 1 percent of all the energy consumed in the United States.[i]

To produce electricity, hot water or steam extracted from high temperature geothermal reservoirs in the Earth's crust is piped to steam turbines at electric utilities that drive generators. Moderate-to-low temperature geothermal resources are used for direct-use applications such as space heating or “district” heating, where a sole source of geothermal energy is used to heat multiple buildings or in some cases, a whole community.

Lower-temperature, shallow-ground geothermal resources are used by geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool individual buildings. Such uses of geothermal energy are becoming increasingly popular as an option for new home construction by those who seek long-term energy savings, as heating and cooling via a geothermal heat pump is very cost-effective.

As of April 2011, only nine states in the United States have geothermal power plants: California (with 48), Nevada (21), Utah (3), Alaska (1), Idaho (1), Hawaii (1), New Mexico (1), Oregon (1), and Wyoming (1). Total U.S. geothermal capacity is rated at 3,102 megawatts (MW).

Geothermal power plants do not burn fuel to produce electricity, so their emission levels are very low. They typically release less than 1 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions of a fossil fuel plant and about 3 percent of their acid rain emissions." more

"The Geothermal Technologies Program (the Program) works in partnership with industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply. Geothermal energy production, a $1.5 billion a year industry, generates electricity or provides heat for direct applications including aquaculture, crop drying, and district heating, or for use in heat pumps to heat and cool buildings. The technologies developed by the Program will provide the Nation with new sources of electricity that are highly reliable and cost competitive and do not add to America's air pollution or the emission of greenhouse gases. Geothermal electricity generation is not subject to fuel price volatility and supply disruptions from changes in global energy markets. Geothermal energy systems use a domestic and renewable source of energy." more

US office of Geothermal Technologies : Geothermal Resources & International Geothermal links

"Sandia's work in drilling technology is aimed at reducing the cost and risk associated with drilling in harsh, subterranean environments. The historical focus of the drilling research has been directed at significantly expanding the nation's utilization of geothermal energy. This focus in geothermal related drilling research is the search for practical solutions to challenges associated with tapping the most intense sources of heat, typically found well below the earth's surface in very severe environments.

Because a large portion of the cost and risk of generating electricity from geothermal sources is associated with drilling and completing exploration, production, and injection wells, Sandia's primary focus has been on the development of improved drilling and completion technologies such as diagnostics while drilling, high-temperature electronics, advanced drill bit technologies, and wellbore integrity technologies to reduce and mitigate problems associated with loss of circulation.

We also actively work on advanced drilling concepts to provide economical access to deeper and hotter resources in the future. Most of these research projects are conducted in cooperation with geothermal operators and companies within the well service industry. On a cost-per-foot basis, geothermal drilling is among the most expensive type of drilling performed; and Sandia’s work this area has created natural synergies that benefit other industries and agencies (e.g.,Oil & Gas and DOD) requiring drilled access to the underground." more