North of the Hot Zone

Released in the Spring of 2007, this study extensively covers the technology and geologic potential of geothermal energy in the United States. A summary of the report is here.

“This environmental advantage is due to low emissions and the small overall footprint of the entire geothermal system, which results because energy capture and extraction is contained entirely underground, and the surface equipment needed for conversion to electricity is relatively compact.”Government-funded research into geothermal was very active in the 1970s and early 1980s. As oil prices declined in the mid-1980s, enthusiasm for alternative energy sources waned, and funding for research on renewable energy and energy efficiency (including geothermal) was greatly reduced, making it difficult for geothermal technology to advance.Although geothermal energy is produced commercially today, and the United States is the world’s biggest producer, existing U.S. plants have focused on the high-grade geothermal systems primarily located in isolated regions of the west.

The full MIT Report is large (14 MB), but can be found here. Highlights to the report are linked here. Other recommendations:

• More detailed and site-specific assessments of the U.S. geothermal energy resource should be conducted.
• Field trials running three to five years at several sites should be done to demonstrate commercial-scale engineered geothermal systems.
• The shallow, extra-hot, high-grade deposits in the west should be explored and tested first.
• Other geothermal resources such as co-produced hot water associated with oil and gas production and geo-pressured resources should also be pursued as short-term options.
• On a longer time scale, deeper, lower-grade geothermal deposits should be explored and tested.
• Local and national policies should be enacted that encourage geothermal development.
• A multi-year research program exploring subsurface science and geothermal drilling and energy conversion should be started, backed by constant analysis of results.

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