The continuous demand for energy and the concern for shortages of conventional energy resources have spurred the nation to consider alternate energy resources, such as geothermal. Although significant growth in the one natural steam field located in the United States has occurred, a major effort is now needed if geothermal energy, in its several forms, is to contribute to the nation's energy supplies. From the early informal efforts of an Interagency Panel for Geothermal Energy Research, a 5-year Federal program has evolved whose objective is the rapid development of a commercial industry for the utilization of geothermal resources for electric power production and other products. The Federal program seeks to evaluate the realistic potential of geothermal energy, to support the necessary research and technology needed to demonstrate the economic and environmental feasibility of the several types of geothermal resources, and to address the legal and institutional problems concerned in the stimulation and regulation of this new industry

Green, R. J.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

THE NATIONAL GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 
RESEARCH PROGRAM 
Richard J.  Green 
National Science Foundation 
Washington, D. C. 
The continuous demand for energy and the concern for shortages 
of conventional energy resources have spurred the nation to consider 
alternate energy resources,  such as geothermal. Although significant 
growth in  the one natural steam field located in  the United States has 
occurred, a major effort i s  now needed i f  geothermal energy, in  i ts  
several  forms, is to contribute to the nation's energy supplies. 
F r o m  the ear ly  informal efforts of an Interagency Panel for Geother- 
mal Energy Research, a 5-year Federal  program has evolved whose 
objective is the rapid development of a commercial industry for the 
utilization of geothermal resources for electric power production 
and other products. The Federal  program seeks to evaluate the 
realist ic potential of geothermal energy, to support the necessary 
research and technology needed to demonstrate the economic and 
environmental feasibility of the several  types of geothermal resources,  
and to address the legal and institutional problems concerned in  the 
stimulation and regulation of this new industry. 
Geothermal energy is  becoming a small but viable contributor to U.  S. 
energy supplies. 
to contribute to meeting urgent domestic energy needs on a significant scale. 
However, i ts  development must be greatly accelerated i f  it is 
Geothermal waters have been used since ancient time; they have been used 
for  municipal heating in  Iceland since the 1930's and a r e  being used to a small 
extent i n  the United States. 
began in  1904 at the Larderello Field in  Italy. 
1000 MWe are being generated i n  the world. 
fueled c)r nuclear generators a r e  now installed in  units which often exceed the 
world's total geothermal capacity. 
Electric power production from geothermal energy 
Today, somewhat more than 
By comparison, single fossil- 
The U .  S. geothermal resource base has been compared favorably with 
present oil and gas reserves .  
geothermal resources a r e  located in  the western third of the U.S. 
development could have considerable impact on meeting the power requirements 
of the nation. 
California is capable of sustaining a generating capacity of as much as 100, 000 
MWe for 50 years.  
It is believed that the most readily exploitable 
Their 
For  instance, it has been estimated that the Imperial Valley in  
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19750012760 2020-03-22T23:21:35+00:00Z
Only one geothermal resource,  d ry  steam, is presently being used to  
produce power in the United States, generating more than 400 MWe at the Gey- 
s e r s  in California. There a r e  no other known sources of dry steam in the U.S. 
except those in  Yellowstone National P a r k .  However, several  other resource 
types show promise. They are:  hot brines, moderate temperature/  low salinity 
fluids, geopressured reservoirs ,  hot rock formations, and magmatic deposits. 
It appears to me that the major problems inhibiting the growth of geo- 
thermal energy in the U.S. are: (1) a lack of confidence on the part of the 
energy utilization industry in geothermal reservoirs  as reliable, long-term 
supplies of energy; (2) institutional, legal, and environmental problems as  soci- 
ated with the development of such reservoirs ;  and (3) unsolved technical prob- 
lems and economic uncertainties concerning the utilization of geothermal energy 
in a n  environmentally acceptable manner. 
The goal of the National Program is to provide the knowledge and tech- 
nology base to solve these problems. 
There a r e  several  strategies which could be adopted to foster the growth 
of geothermal energy utilization in the United States. 
ment exclusive control over all  phases from resource exploration to commer- 
cial power generation. This is clearly unacceptable. Another strategy would 
be no government involvement at all. This is undesirable in  view of the high- 
r i s k  nature of exploration, the need for advanced technology for the more mar-  
ginal types of resources,  and the urgency of our energy supply situation. 
One i s  to give the govern- 
The strategy that makes most sense - and the one we have adopted - is  
based upon a short-term government involvement with the geothermal industry. 
The private sector is expected to assume an increasing role, and a greater 
share of the r i s k ,  as the National Research Program begins to pay off. 
Thus, the National Geothermal Energy Research Program places major 
emphasis on a strong and continuous working relationship with the geothermal 
energy industry, 
hopefully, achieve the acceleration of the development of U. S. geothermal 
r e  s our ce s . 
This w i l l  ensure a rapid transfer of research results and, 
The primayy goal of the National Geothermal Energy Research Program 
is to  stimulate the private sector to augment the commercial production of 
electric power by 20,000 to 30,000 MWe by 1985. This would save the equiva- 
lent of 1,000,000 barrels  of oil per day. 
for 1990 and the year 2000 a r e  100,000 and 200,000 MWe, respectively. 
addition, fossil  fuels will also be conserved through the use of geothermal fluids 
for nonelectric purposes - space heating, process heat, production of minerals, 
and desalination. 
The corresponding production goals 
In 
Specifically, the National Program is directed to: 
(1) Provide the necessary technological advances to improve the eco- 
nomics of geothermal power production. 
(2) Expand the knowledge of recoverable resources of geothermal 
energy. 
8 
(3) Provide carefully researched policy options to assist in resolving 
environmental, legal, and institutional problems. 
The National Program i s  divided into four discrete areas:  
(1) Resource exploration and assessment. 
(2) Environmental, legal, and-. institutional problems. 
(3 )  Resource utilization projects. 
(4) Advanced research and technology. 
Resource exploration and assessment i s  directed at  appraising regionally 
and nationally a l l  types of geothermal resources and identifying promising tar-  
get areas  for industry exploration and development. 
The objectives a re  to improve geophysical, geochemical, geological, 
hydrological, and other techniques for  locating and evaluating geothermal 
resources; to develop better methods for predicting the productivity and longev- 
ity of geothermal reservoirs;  and to assess  the nature and power potential of the 
deeper unexplored sectors of high-temperature geothermal convection systems. 
Environmental, legal, and institutional research w i l l  investigate methods 
for improved waste disposal and evaluate surface and subsurface effects of geo- 
thermal production. The research w i l l  seek to improve the capability to  predict 
environmental impacts , expedite preparation of environmental impact state- 
ments, and ensure compliance with standards and criteria. Social, legal, and 
economic problems w i l l  be identified. Policy alternatives w i l l  be developed to 
provide a socio-economic framework conducive to commercial utilization of 
geothermal r e  sources, 
Resource utilization projects wi l l  provide operational, technological, and 
economic data to establish the practicality of commercial electric and nonelec- 
t r ic  uses of geothermal energy. Small scale, experimental research facilities 
o r  pilot plants of 1 to  10 MWe in size w i l l  be the vehicle to gain the data and 
experience. The pilot plants w i l l  provide data for use in determining the oper- 
ating characteristics of commercial scale plants and the potential lifetime of 
different classes of reservoirs. The facilities w i l l  provide the capability to test  
and evaluate new components developed by industry and universities. The pro- 
gram is directed at involving engineers , analysts, technicians, and managers 
f rom industry so that they can gain "hands-on" geothermal power plant experi- 
ence. Development of a cadre of trained geothermal engineers and technicians 
i s  another goal of this program. 
The advanced research and technology efforts a r e  directed at a variety of 
problems. Some examples are: the development of effective, efficient drilling 
methods for operation in the high-temperature geothermal regime; the develop- 
ment of predictive methods and control techniques for the extraction and rein- 
jection of geothermal fluids: the development of rock fracturing techniques; the 
improvement of equipment and technology to extract fluids from reservoirs;  the 
development of new energy conversion technology; and, lastly, the development 
of new and improved methods for controlling emissions and wastes from geo- 
thermal r e s  ervoir s . 
9 
The National Geothermal Energy Research Program involves the 
activities of many agencies : the National Science Foundation, the Atomic 
Energy Commission, the U. S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation, 
the Bureau of Mines, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Council of 
Environmental Quality, the Federal  Power Commission, and the Bureau of 
Land Management. 
The National Science Foundation serves as  the lead Federal agency for 
the formulation and execution of the National Program. 
for Geothermal Energy Research has been established to provide the foundation 
with a mechanism for coordinating the geothermal programs of the Federal 
agencies. 
An Interagency Panel 
The panel, including representatives from the agencies listed below, 
Serves as the focal point to ensure that all Federal  efforts a r e  properly 
integrated. 
The Interagency Panel for Geothermal Energy Research includes repre- 
sentatives from: 
Atomic Energy Commission 
Bureau of Mines 
Bureau of Reclamation 
Council on Environmental Quality 
Department of Defense 
Department of Interior 
E nv i r o nm e nt a 1 P r o t e ct io n Age n cy 
Federal  Energy Agency 
Federal  Power  Commission 
National Science Foundation 
U. S. Geological Survey 
Office of Management and Budget (observer) 
Private sector involvement in the National Geothermal Energy Research 
Program wi l l  be accomplished through use of the following management 
approaches : 
Industrial organizations and consortia thereof w i l l  be awarded contracts 
to design, construct, manage, and operate experimental research facilities. 
In these instances, a major benefit wil l  be the flow of information and results 
directly to the private sector. 
Secondly, national laboratories w i l l  award contracts to industrial firms 
for the completion of specific tasks  associated with particular projects. 
nical and management control w i l l  remain with the national laboratory. 
Tech- 
I would like to note that in both cases cost sharing arrangements with 
industrial partners w i l l  be sought for the dual purposes of: (1) promoting early 
participation by the private sector on a "partnership" basis, and (2) reducing 
the government's cost. 
10 
In addition, through both solicited and unsolicited proposals, awards w i l l  
This w i l l  ensure that the program 
be made to universities, industry and nonprofit organizations to  conduct 
research in the areas  discussed previously. 
w i l l  have a steady flow of innovative research ideas and project opportunities. 
It i s  vital to the Federal  geothermal effort that close ties with industry be 
established and maintained. 
Geothermal Industry Liaison Group. 
scope, direction, and planned implementation of geothermal research conducted 
by Federal  agencies. 
One vehicle for accomplishing this w i l l  be the 
The group w i l l  give advice regarding the 
It will be the means by which the Interagency Panel for Geothermal Energy 
Research can inform industry of the status of ongoing programs. It w i l l  provide 
the Interagency Panel with industry perspectives on the problems related to geo- 
thermal exploitation. Lastly, it w i l l  provide the Interagency Panel with recom- 
mendations relating to industry participation in the program. 
The group w i l l  include representatives from: 
(1) Electric utilities. 
(2) Resource extraction organizations. 
(3)  Engineering services. 
(4) Agriculture and mining. 
(5) Financial institutions. 
(6) State and local governments. 
In addition to scientists and engineers, the group w i l l  include representa- 
tives concarned with rate base and marketing matters to ensure that the widest 
range of private sector attitudes and perspectives a re  available to the 
government 
The research budget for the national programs in fiscal year 1975 i s  
shown below. 
lems which inhibit geothermal developments e 
We believe it provides for addressing, in a timely way, the prob- 
1975 Program Budget 
(millions of dollars) 
- -  NSF AEC Total 
Resource exploration and a s  ses  sment 3.0 - -  8.2 11.2 
Environmental, legal, and institutional 2. 3 - -  1.1 3.4 
19.1 
7 . 5  2.1 1.9 11.5 
Total 22.3 11.7 11.2 45.2 
- -  Resource utilization projects 9.5 9.6 
Advanced research and technology ---- 
11 
The 5-year projected budget for the program is $314 million dollars. 
The degree that this is reduced will depend upon private sector cost sharing in  
the program. 
In closing, I would like to say that i n  developing the National Program 
We have attempted to design a 
We a r e  optimistic that 
Plan we attempted to identify the problems to be overcome to bring geothermal 
energy to the market place on a large scale. 
program to help in solving these problems. It is based on optimism. 
optimistic that the resource base does in fact exist. 
technology can be brought to bear to extract and utilize the resource. 
are optimistic that there are no insurmountable legal, environmental, and 
institutional problems 
We a re  
And we 
Any program worth its salt is dynamic - it is subject to improvement and 
I earnestly a s k  for it. 
upgrading. 
tion. 
To ensure that this occurs we need your help and active participa- 
12 


The National Geothermal Energy Research Program

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