Felicity Bradstock
Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. She has a Master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK.
More Info
Premium Content
By Felicity Bradstock – Apr 05, 2024, 1:00 PM CDT
- The U.S. Department of Energy has invested $60 million in funding for three enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) projects.
- EGS can access heat stored underground and convert it into renewable energy, potentially doubling the amount of recoverable geothermal energy in the US.
- Climate policies and increased funding for green energy projects are driving the rapid growth of lesser-recognized renewable energy sources like geothermal power.
Governments around the globe are exploring innovative ways to produce cleaner energy that will help decrease the overreliance on polluting fossil fuels. This ranges from more traditional green energy, such as solar and wind power, to less common options like tidal and geothermal power. As part of its aim to undergo a green transition, the U.S. government recently unlocked millions in funding to develop the country’s geothermal potential, after years of pressure from the industry.
Scientists worldwide have long hailed geothermal energy for its potential to provide vast amounts of clean power with little impact on the environment. Geothermal energy operations are nothing new, but they are limited to certain parts of the world and have not run at their full potential in the past due to the non-existence of the equipment needed to access the extreme heat in the Earth’s crust. Geothermal sources have been used for hundreds of years, but, until recently, the amount of energy retrieved from geothermal operations was severely limited. However, thanks to greater investment in research and development in the sector, the equipment required to access this energy now exists.
Previously, geothermal resources could only be accessed in areas where heat sources were available close to the Earth’s surface, such as in hot springs and geysers. Hot water and steam in various sites around the globe have long been used to drive turbines and generate electricity. Thanks to greater funding for geothermal technology, scientists have recently developed enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) that can be used to access heat in hard-to-reach places. EGS works by injecting water at a high pressure into deep rocks to re-open natural fractures that have closed over time, allowing hot water or steam to flow into extraction wells. The continuous injection of water allows these fractures to stay open and the water to be heated and extracted to generate electricity.
In March, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) announced it would be investing $60 million in funding to demonstrate the efficacy and scalability of EGS. These systems will be used to access heat stored underground to be used as renewable energy. The DoE said that the funds would be awarded to three projects – Chevron New Energies, Fervo Energy, and Mazama Energy.