Geothermal energy program summary: Volume 1: Overview Fiscal Year 1988

Technical Report · Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6429904· OSTI ID:6429904

Geothermal energy is a here-and-now technology for use with dry steam resources and high-quality hydrothermal liquids. These resources are supplying about 6% of all electricity used in California. However, the competitiveness of power generation using lower quality hydrothermal fluids, geopressured brines, hot dry rock, and magma still depends on the technology improvements sought by the DOE Geothermal Energy R and D Program. The successful outcome of the R and D initiatives will serve to benefit the US public in a number of ways. First, if a substantial portion of our geothermal resources can be used economically, they will add a very large source of secure, indigenous energy to the nation's energy supply. In addition, geothermal plants can be brought on line quickly in case of a national energy emergency. Geothermal energy is also a highly reliable resource, with very high plant availability. For example, new dry steam plants at The Geysers are operable over 99% of the time, and the small flash plant in Hawaii, only the second in the United States, has an availability factor of 98%. Geothermal plants also offer a viable baseload alternative to fossil and nuclear plants -- they are on line 24 hours a day, unaffected by diurnal or seasonal variations. The hydrothermal power plants with modern emission control technology have proved to have minimal environmental impact. The results to date with geopressured and hot dry rock resources suggest that they, too, can be operated so as to reduce environmental effects to well within the limits of acceptability. Preliminary studies on magma are also encouraging. In summary, the character and potential of geothermal energy, together with the accomplishments of DOE's Geothermal R and D Program, ensure that this huge energy resource will play a major role in future US energy markets. 7 figs.

• Research Organization: USDOE Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy, Washington, DC. Geothermal Technology Div.
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6429904
• Report Number(s): DOE/CH/10093-49; ON: DE89000864
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
GEOPRESSURED SYSTEMS
GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
HOT-DRY-ROCK SYSTEMS
HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS
MAGMA
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION
US DOE
WELL DRILLING
DRILLING
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EXPLORATION
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POWER PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESOURCES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
US ORGANIZATIONS
Geothermal Legacy