Geothermal Power Production Potential in the Pacific Northwest

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Geothermal Power Production Potential in the
Pacific Northwest

• Curt Robinson, PhD
• Executive, Director Geothermal Resources Council
• Davis, California
• www.geothermal.org

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Overview

• Thoughts About Geothermal Energy
• Reports and Findings
• Western Governors Association
• Other Studies
• Prospects for the Future
• Conclusions
• References

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How Many Homes can be Served by One Megawatt of
Geothermal Energy?

• One megawatt (MWe) is equivalent to 1 million
  watts and can meet the power needs of roughly
  1,000 homes.
• The geothermal resources used throughout the
  United States today serve about 2.8 million
  households.
• The potential for geothermal use (megawatts
  available but not currently used) is many times
  greater.

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Energy Equivalents
1000 megawatts for 30 years is
equivalent to 300 million barrels
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Oil Discoveries With ProductionGreater Than 100
MMBOE
0 100 200
300 400
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Worldwide Installed Geothermal Capacity
North America 2,987 MW Southeast Asia 3,672
MW Latin America 1,494 MW Europe/Middle
East 1,630 MW New Zealand/Australia 635
MW Africa 169 MW Total 10,587 MW
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• Potential Geothermal Energy (Worldwide)
• 10,500 MWe is on line in 2008
• This may grow to 20,000 MWe by 2010
• and as much as 148,000 MWe by 2027

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Geothermal Energy Cycle

• Precipitation seeps deep below the earths
  surface
• Collects in underground reservoirs
• Fluids are warmed by the earths heat
• Heat is conducted from nearby magma
• Surface wells are drilled to the heated
  reservoirs
• Hot water is brought to the surface through the
  wells
• Flashed to steam and cleaned
• Delivered by pipelines to electricity-generating
  plants
• Electricity is delivered to the consumer
• Excess fluids are returned to the geothermal
  reservoir

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Geothermal Energy - Heat from the Earth
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Distribution of Lithospheric Plates and Active
Volcanoes
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The Pacific Ring of Fire

• An area along the Pacific Rim with unique
  geological conditions
• Continental movement causes high
  tension/compression zones
• Deep fractures occur in the earths crust
• Molten material, or magma, pushes close to the
  earths surface
• Subsurface waters are heated to form geothermal
  reservoirs
• Most (80) geothermal development is along The
  Ring of Fire

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Geothermal Energy Located Along the Pacific Rim
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Hydrothermal Systems
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First Geothermal Plant 1904, Lardarello, Italy
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Geothermal Resource AreasSource OIT Geo Heat
Center
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Temperatures at 3 km Depth
(INL Website data from SMU)
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Temperatures at 6 km DepthSource DOE
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Temperatures at 6 km DepthSource DOE
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Washingtons Geothermal Resources
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Schematic of a Geothermal Power Plant
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Geothermal Plants Emit Steam Not Smoke
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Western Governors Report (2006)

• The Western States share a capacity of almost
  13,000 megawatts of geothermal energy that can be
  developed on specific sites within a reasonable
  timeframe.
• Of these, 5,600 megawatts are considered by the
  geothermal industry to be viable for commercial
  development within the next 10 years, i.e. by
  about 2015.
• This is a commercially achievable capacity for
  new generation and does not include the much
  larger potential of unknown, undiscovered
  resources.

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Table GT-I.2 Summary of Western States'
Near-Term New Geothermal Power Capacity
Capacities (in Megawatts) and Number of
Sites Alaska 20 3 Arizona 20
2 Colorado 20 9 California 2,400
25 Hawaii 70 3 Idaho 860 6 Nevada
1,500 63 New Mexico 80 6 Oregon 380
11 Utah 230 5 Washington 50 5 Total
5,630 MW 138 Note A GeoPowering the West
study suggested that 127 MWe could be used for
electricity and 448 MWe for direct use in
Washington. The GEA produced a report supporting
the 50 MWe figure for near term and predicted as
much as 600 MWe over the longer term.
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Geothermal Design Challenges
Resource Conditions Poorly Defined

• Production/Injection Well Location
• Fluid Enthalpy
• Steam Composition Unknown
• Carbon Dioxide
• Hydrogen Sulfide
• Ammonia
• Other

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What is EGS?

• Enhanced Geothermal System or Hot Dry Rock
• Producing electricity from hot dry rock requires
  fracturing hot rocks, pumping water into and out
  of the hot rock, and generating electricity.
• Research applications of this technology are
  being pursued in the US, France, Australia, and
  elsewhere.
• They are not yet economically viable.
• For more information see The Future of
  Geothermal Energy (MIT Report)
  http//www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/future_geot
  hermal.html

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Geothermal Power Plants are Easy on the
Environment

• Geothermal power plants have been built
• In the middle of crops
• In forested recreation areas
• In fragile deserts
• In tropical forests

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Geothermal Power Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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Geothermal Advantages

• Indigenous, Renewable Energy Source
• Mitigates Against Rising Fuel Costs
• Environmentally Friendly (Green Power)
• Reliable Base-Load Generation

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Benefits of Geothermal Power

• Provides clean and safe energy using little land
• Is renewable and sustainable
• Generates continuous, reliable baseload power
• Is cost-competitive
• Conserves fossil fuels and contributes to
  diversity in energy sources
• Avoids importing and benefits local economies
• Offers modular, incremental development
  andvillage power to remote sites

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References For More Information

• Geothermal Resources Council http//www.geotherma
  l.org/
• GRC Annual Meeting GEA Trade Show
• October 5-8, 2008 in Reno, Nevada
• US DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  http//www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/
• Colorado Geological Survey http//www.geosurvey.s
  tate.co.us/
• University of Utah Energy and Geoscience
  Institute http//egi-geothermal.org/
• Geothermal Energy Association http//www.geo-ener
  gy.org/

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References For More Information (2)

• Oregon Institute of Technology Geo-Heat Center
  http//geoheat.oit.edu/
• University of Nevada, Reno Great Basin Center for
  Geothermal Energy http//www.unr.edu/Geothermal/
• Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab
  http//www.smu.edu/geothermal/
• Western Governors Association Report
  http//www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/cdeac/geoth
  ermal.htm

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The End