CROSSING THE DIVIDE STUDY: GEOTHERMAL ANALYSIS NOW AVAILABLE

Geothermal energy draws on the heat beneath the earth’s surface to produce electricity. Current geothermal energy projects rely on either steam or hot water drawn from natural geothermal reservoirs usually associated with active volcanic areas. Approximately 10 gigawatts of geothermal capacity are currently operating around the globe. An emerging technology that is receiving a great deal of interest is the enhanced geothermal power, the so-called hot rocks technology. This low-temperature geothermal heat source would vastly expand the geographic availability of geothermal power. Although geothermal energy provides base-load power and has relatively few environmental issues associated with it, it still faces constraints on its widespread use; geography, or proximity to demand centers, and costs are the two primary impediments.

Downloads  Full Report (15 pages) (Client Only)  Table II-8: Geothermal Cost and Performance Characteristics by Region, 2007 (Client Only)  Figure II-11: Dry Steam (Client Only)  Figure II-12: Flashed Steam (Client Only)  Figure II-13: Binary Cycle (Client Only)  Figure II-14: Geothermal Resource Potential (Client Only)