An enhanced geothermal system (EGS) generates geothermal electricity without natural convective hydrothermal resources. Traditionally, geothermal power systems operated only where naturally occurring heat, water, and rock permeability are sufficient to allow energy extraction. [1] However, most geothermal energy within reach of conventional techniques is in dry and impermeable rock. [2] EGS technologies expand the availability of geothermal resources through stimulation methods, such as 'hydraulic stimulation'.
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In many rock formations natural cracks and pores do not allow water to flow at economic rates. Permeability can be enhanced by hydro-shearing, pumping high-pressure water down an injection well into naturally-fractured rock. The injection increases the fluid pressure in the rock, triggering shear events that expand pre-existing cracks and enhance the site's permeability. As long as the injection pressure is maintained, high permeability is not required, nor are hydraulic fracturing proppants required to maintain the fractures in an open state. [3]
Hydro-shearing is different from hydraulic tensile fracturing, used in the oil and gas industry, which can create new fractures in addition to expanding existing fractures. [4]
Water passes through the fractures, absorbing heat until forced to the surface as hot water. The water's heat is converted into electricity using either a steam turbine or a binary power plant system, which cools the water. [5] The water is cycled back into the ground to repeat the process.
EGS plants are baseload resources that produce power at a constant rate. Unlike hydrothermal, EGS is apparently feasible anywhere in the world, depending on the resource depth. Good locations are typically over deep granite covered by a 3–5 kilometres (1.9–3.1 mi) layer of insulating sediments that slow heat loss. [6]
Advanced drilling techniques penetrate hard crystalline rock at depths of up to or exceeding 15 km, which give access to higher-temperature rock (400 °C and above), as temperature increases with depth. [7]
EGS plants are expected to have an economic lifetime of 20–30 years. [8]
EGS systems are under development in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States. The world's largest EGS project is a 25-megawatt demonstration plant in Cooper Basin, Australia. Cooper Basin has the potential to generate 5,000–10,000 MW.
EGS technologies use a variety of methods to create additional flow paths. EGS projects have combined hydraulic, chemical, thermal, and explosive stimulation methods. Some EGS projects operate at the edges of hydrothermal sites where drilled wells intersect hot, yet impermeable, reservoir rocks. Stimulation methods enhance that permeability. The table below shows EGS projects around the world. [9] [10]
Name | Country | State/region | Year Start | Stimulation method | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mosfellssveit | Iceland | 1970 | Thermal and hydraulic | [11] | |
Fenton Hill | USA | New Mexico | 1973 | Hydraulic and chemical | [12] |
Bad Urach | Germany | 1977 | Hydraulic | [13] | |
Falkenberg | Germany | 1977 | Hydraulic | [14] | |
Rosemanowes | UK | 1977 | Hydraulic and explosive | [15] | |
Le Mayet | France | 1978 | Hydraulic | , [16] [17] | |
East Mesa | USA | California | 1980 | Hydraulic | [18] |
Krafla | Iceland | 1980 | Thermal | [19] | |
Baca | USA | New Mexico | 1981 | Hydraulic | [18] |
Geysers Unocal | USA | California | 1981 | Explosive | [18] |
Beowawe | USA | Nevada | 1983 | Hydraulic | [18] |
Bruchal | Germany | 1983 | Hydraulic | [20] | |
Fjällbacka | Sweden | 1984 | Hydraulic and chemical | [21] | |
Neustadt-Glewe | Germany | 1984 | [20] | ||
Hijiori | Japan | 1985 | Hydraulic | [22] | |
Soultz | France | 1986 | Hydraulic and chemical | [23] | |
Altheim | Austria | 1989 | Chemical | [24] | |
Hachimantai | Japan | 1989 | Hydraulic | [25] | |
Ogachi | Japan | 1989 | Hydraulic | [26] | |
Sumikawa | Japan | 1989 | Thermal | [27] | |
Tyrnyauz | Russia | ` | 1991 | Hydraulic | , [28] [29] |
Bacman | Philippines | 1993 | Chemical | [30] | |
Seltjarnarnes | Iceland | 1994 | Hydraulic | [31] | |
Mindanao | Philippines | 1995 | Chemical | [32] | |
Bouillante | France | 1996 | Thermal | [33] | |
Leyte | Philippines | 1996 | Chemical | [34] | |
Hunter Valley | Australia | 1999 | [8] | ||
Groß Schönebeck | Germany | 2000 | Hydraulic and chemical | [35] | |
Tiwi | Philippines | 2000 | Chemical | [36] | |
Berlin | El Salvador | 2001 | Chemical | [37] | |
Cooper Basin: Habanero | Australia | 2002 | Hydraulic | [38] | |
Cooper Basin: Jolokia 1 | Australia | 2002 | Hydraulic | [38] | |
Coso | USA | California | 1993, 2005 | Hydraulic and chemical | [39] |
Hellisheidi | Iceland | 1993 | Thermal | [40] | |
Genesys: Horstberg | Germany | 2003 | Hydraulic | [41] | |
Landau | Germany | 2003 | Hydraulic | [42] | |
Unterhaching | Germany | 2004 | Chemical | [43] | |
Salak | Indonesia | 2004 | Chemical, thermal, hydraulic and cyclic pressure loading | [44] | |
Olympic Dam | Australia | 2005 | Hydraulic | [45] | |
Paralana | Australia | 2005 | Hydraulic and chemical | [46] | |
Los Azufres | Mexico | 2005 | Chemical | [47] | |
Basel | Switzerland | 2006 | Hydraulic | [48] | |
Larderello | Italy | 1983, 2006 | Hydraulic and chemical | [49] | |
Insheim | Germany | 2007 | Hydraulic | [50] | |
Desert Peak | USA | Nevada | 2008 | Hydraulic and chemical | [51] |
Brady Hot Springs | USA | Nevada | 2008 | Hydraulic | [52] |
Southeast Geysers | USA | California | 2008 | Hydraulic | [53] |
Genesys: Hannover | Germany | 2009 | Hydraulic | [54] | |
St. Gallen | Switzerland | 2009 | Hydraulic and chemical | [55] | |
New York Canyon | USA | Nevada | 2009 | Hydraulic | [56] |
Northwest Geysers | USA | California | 2009 | Thermal | [57] |
Newberry | USA | Oregon | 2010 | Hydraulic | [58] |
Mauerstetten | Germany | 2011 | Hydraulic and chemical | [59] | |
Soda Lake | USA | Nevada | 2011 | Explosive | [60] |
Raft River | USA | Idaho | 1979, 2012 | Hydraulic and thermal | [61] |
Blue Mountain | USA | Nevada | 2012 | Hydraulic | [62] |
Rittershoffen | France | 2013 | Thermal, hydraulic and chemical | [63] | |
Klaipėda | Lithuania | 2015 | Jetting | [64] | |
Otaniemi | Finland | 2016 | Hydraulic | [65] | |
South Hungary EGS Demo | Hungary | 2016 | Hydraulic | [66] | |
Pohang | South Korea | 2016 | Hydraulic | [67] | |
FORGE Utah | USA | Utah | 2016 | Hydraulic | [68] |
Reykjanes | Iceland | 2006, 2017 | Thermal | [69] | |
Roter Kamm (Schneeberg) | Germany | 2018 | Hydraulic | [70] | |
United Downs Deep Geothermal Power (Redruth) | UK | 2018 | Hydraulic | [71] | |
Eden (St Austell) | UK | 2018 | Hydraulic | [72] | |
Qiabuqia | China | 2018 | Thermal and hydraulic | [73] | |
Vendenheim | France | 2019 | [74] | ||
Project Red | USA | Nevada | 2023 | Hydraulic | [75] [76] |
Cape Station | USA | Utah | 2023 | Hydraulic | [77] |
The Australian government has provided research funding for the development of Hot Dry Rock technology. Projects include Hunter Valley (1999), Cooper Basin: Habanero (2002), Cooper Basin: Jolokia 1 (2002), and Olympic Dam (2005). [78]
This section needs to be updated.(June 2022) |
The EU's EGS R&D project at Soultz-sous-Forêts, France, connects a 1.5 MW demonstration plant to the grid. The Soultz project explored the connection of multiple stimulated zones and the performance of triplet well configurations (1 injector/2 producers). Soultz is in the Alsace.
Induced seismicity in Basel led to the cancellation of the EGS project there.[ citation needed ]
The Portuguese government awarded, in December 2008, an exclusive license to Geovita Ltd to prospect and explore geothermal energy in one of the best areas in continental Portugal. Geovita is studying an area of about 500 square kilometers together with the Earth Sciences department of the University of Coimbra's Science and Technology faculty.[ citation needed ]
The Pohang EGS project started in December 2010, with the goal of producing 1 MW. [79]
The 2017 Pohang earthquake may have been linked to the activity of the Pohang EGS project. All research activities were stopped in 2018.
The first EGS effort — then termed Hot Dry Rock — took place at Fenton Hill, New Mexico with a project run by the federal Los Alamos Laboratory. [82] It was the first attempt to make a deep, full-scale EGS reservoir.
The EGS reservoir at Fenton Hill was completed in 1977 at a depth of about 2.6 km, exploiting rock temperatures of 185 °C. In 1979 the reservoir was enlarged with additional hydraulic stimulation and was operated for about 1 year. The results demonstrated that heat could be extracted at reasonable rates from a hydraulically stimulated region of low-permeability hot crystalline rock. In 1986, a second reservoir was prepared for initial hydraulic circulation and heat extraction testing. In a 30-day flow test with a constant reinjection temperature of 20 °C, the production temperature steadily increased to about 190 °C, corresponding to a thermal power level of about 10 MW. Budget cuts ended the study.
In 2009, The US Department of Energy (USDOE) issued two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) related to enhanced geothermal systems. Together, the two FOAs offered up to $84 million over six years. [83]
The DOE opened another FOA in 2009 using stimulus funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act for $350 million, including $80 million aimed specifically at EGS projects, [84]
Developing EGS in conjunction with a district heating system is a part in Cornell University's Climate Action Plan for their Ithaca campus. [87] The project began in 2018 to determine feasibility, gain funding and monitor baseline seismicity. [88] The project received $7.2 million in USDOE funding. [89] A test well was to be drilled in spring of 2021, at a depth of 2.5 –5 km targeting rock with a temperature > 85 °C. The site is planned to supply 20% of the campus' annual heating load. Promising geological locations for reservoir were proposed in the Trenton-Black River formation (2.2 km) or in basement crystalline rock (3.5 km). [90] The 2 mile deep borehole was completed in 2022. [91]
In September 2022, the Geothermal Technologies Office within the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced an "Enhanced Geothermal Shot" as part of their Energy Earthshots campaign. [92] The goal of the Earthshot is to reduce the cost of EGS by 90%, to $45/megawatt hour by 2035. [93]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorized $84 million to support EGS development through four demonstration projects. [94] The Inflation Reduction Act extended the production tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy sources (including geothermal) until 2024 and included geothermal energy in the new Clean Electricity PTC to begin in 2024. [95]
Induced seismicity is earth tremors caused by human activity. Seismicity is common in EGS, because of the high pressures involved. [96] [97] Seismicity events at the Geysers geothermal field in California are correlated with injection activity. [98]
Induced seismicity in Basel led the city to suspend its project and later cancel the project. [99]
According to the Australian government, risks associated with "hydrofracturing induced seismicity are low compared to that of natural earthquakes, and can be reduced by careful management and monitoring" and "should not be regarded as an impediment to further development". [100] Induced seismicity varies from site to site and should be assessed before large scale fluid injection.
A 2006 report by MIT, [8] funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, conducted the most comprehensive analysis to date on EGS. The report offered several significant conclusions:
Geothermal energy is thermal energy extracted from the Earth's crust. It combines energy from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay. Geothermal energy has been exploited as a source of heat and/or electric power for millennia.
Induced seismicity is typically earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on Earth's crust. Most induced seismicity is of a low magnitude. A few sites regularly have larger quakes, such as The Geysers geothermal plant in California which averaged two M4 events and 15 M3 events every year from 2004 to 2009. The Human-Induced Earthquake Database (HiQuake) documents all reported cases of induced seismicity proposed on scientific grounds and is the most complete compilation of its kind.
Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be drawn from beneath the Earth's surface. Reservoirs of petroleum are formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil drilling. Seismic surveys and other methods are used to locate oil reservoirs. Oil rigs and oil platforms are used to drill long holes into the earth to create an oil well and extract petroleum. After extraction, oil is refined to make gasoline and other products such as tires and refrigerators. Extraction of petroleum can be dangerous and have led to oil spills.
Rosemanowes Quarry, near Penryn, Cornwall, England, was a granite quarry and the site of an early experiment in extracting geothermal energy from the earth using hot dry rock (HDR) technology.
Geothermal energy in the United States was first used for electric power production in 1960. The Geysers in Sonoma and Lake counties, California was developed into what is now the largest geothermal steam electrical plant in the world, at 1,517 megawatts. Other geothermal steam fields are known in the western United States and Alaska. Geothermally generated electric power can be dispatchable to follow the demands of changing loads. Environmental impact of this energy source includes hydrogen sulfide emissions, corrosive or saline chemicals discharged in waste water, possible seismic effects from water injection into rock formations, waste heat and noise.
The Geysers is the world's largest geothermal field, containing a complex of 18 geothermal power plants, drawing steam from more than 350 wells, located in the Mayacamas Mountains approximately 72 miles (116 km) north of San Francisco, California.
Geothermal power is electrical power generated from geothermal energy. Technologies in use include dry steam power stations, flash steam power stations and binary cycle power stations. Geothermal electricity generation is currently used in 26 countries, while geothermal heating is in use in 70 countries.
Well stimulation is a broad term used to describe the various techniques and well interventions that can be used to restore or enhance the production of hydrocarbons from an oil well.
Heavy oil production is a developing technology for extracting heavy oil in industrial quantities. Estimated reserves of heavy oil are over 6 trillion barrels, three times that of conventional oil and gas.
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a geothermal project established in 2000 by a consortium of the National Energy Authority of Iceland (Orkustofnun/OS) and four of Iceland's leading energy companies: Hitaveita Suðurnesja (HS), Landsvirkjun, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur and Mannvit Engineering. The consortium is referred to as "Deep Vision".
AltaRock Energy Inc. is a privately held corporation that focuses on the development of geothermal energy resources and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). It is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and has a technology development office in Sausalito, California. AltaRock has filed patent applications and holds exclusive licenses for related intellectual property related to EGS. In 2008 it started its first project near The Geysers in California to demonstrate the ability of EGS to be a reliable, renewable and clean source for the production of electric power.
United Downs Deep Geothermal Power is the United Kingdom's first geothermal electricity project. It is situated near Redruth in Cornwall, England. It is owned and operated by Geothermal Engineering (GEL), a private UK company. The drilling site is on the United Downs industrial estate, chosen for its geology, existing grid connection, proximity to access roads and limited impact on local communities. Energy is extracted by cycling water through a naturally hot reservoir and using the heated water to drive a turbine to produce electricity and for direct heating. The company plans to begin delivering electricity and heat in 2024. A lithium resource was discovered in the well.
Induced seismicity in Basel led to suspension of its hot dry rock enhanced geothermal systems project. A seismic-hazard evaluation was then conducted, resulting in the cancellation of the project in December 2009. Basel, Switzerland sits atop a historically active fault and most of the city was destroyed in a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in 1356. But the Basel project, although it had established an operational approach for addressing induced earthquakes, had not performed a thorough seismic risk assessment before starting geothermal stimulation.
Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fracking fluid" into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants hold the fractures open.
Hot dry rock (HDR) is an extremely abundant source of geothermal energy that is difficult to access. A vast store of thermal energy is contained within hot – but essentially dry and impervious crystalline basement rocks found almost everywhere deep beneath Earth's surface. A method for the extraction of useful amounts of geothermal energy from HDR originated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1970, and Laboratory researchers were awarded a US patent covering it.
Geothermal energy in Italy is mainly used for electric power production.
With the development of both conventional and unconventional resources in Canada, induced seismicity caused by anthropological activities has been observed, documented, and studied.
Solar augmented geothermal energy (SAGE) is an advanced method of geothermal energy that creates a synthetic geothermal storage resource by heating a natural brine with solar energy and adding enough heat when the sun shines to generate power 24 hours a day. The earth is given enough energy in one hour to provide all electrical needs for a year. Available energy is not the issue, but energy storage is the problem and SAGE creates effective storage and electrical power delivery on demand. This technology is especially effective for geothermal wells that have demonstrated inconsistent heat or idle oil or gas fields that have demonstrated the proper geology and have an abundance of solar.
Fervo Energy is an energy resource company focused on harnessing heat through enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). It was co-founded in 2017 by Tim Latimer, a mechanical engineer who worked as a drilling engineer at BHP until 2015. His departure from the oil and gas sector was driven by a desire to apply techniques observed during the shale revolution to geothermal extraction.
Roland N. Horne is an energy engineer, author and academic. He is the Thomas Davies Barrow Professor of Earth Sciences, a Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy, and Director of the Geothermal Program at Stanford University.
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