| Title | The Future of Geothermal Energy: The Shale Gas Analogy -- Significant Electrical EGS Resource Areas in the US |
|---|---|
| Authors | Blackwell, David; Frone, Zachary; Richards, Maria |
| Year | 2013 |
| Conference | Geothermal Resources Council Transactions |
| Keywords | Enhanced Geothermal Systems; EGS; Cascades; Snake River Plain; Raton Basin; Haynesville Shale; Gulf Coast Geopressure; shale gas |
| Abstract | The geothermal industry has been referred to as ?mature? because of the length of time the industry has been producing electricity and the level of technology involved in projects. The same could have been stated about the oil and gas industry in the early 2000?s. Yet both industries are continuously trying to advance through research involving resource understanding, technology advances, and technique development. The shale gas play is an outcome of this advancement by the oil and gas industry, taking approximately 20 years to reach the current level of intensive and successful development characterized by using uniform techniques and standards applied to broad areas of similar resource types. In the geothermal industry Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) have been conceptualized for over 40 years and are now starting the initial development phase in a few sites worldwide. Geothermal Energy could follow a track analogous to the oil and gas industry and reach large scale development in 20 years if it learns from the shale play process and addresses the key factors that will enable it to succeed on a large scale. The factors are related to identifying and characterizing the large-scale thermal resources in the upper 3 to 4 km and developing the ability to access the heat-in-place. Accessing the heat in place includes a grid to transport the energy to market and a supply of water. For near-term successful research and development these crucial factors must be maximized. This paper addresses the locations where EGS research and development activities might be optimal over the near term to facilitate development over the longer term. |