The Nevada Play Fairway Project — Phase II: Initial Search for New Viable Geothermal Systems in the Great Basin Region, Western USA
- Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno
- Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno
- Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno; ATLAS Geosciences Inc.
- ATLAS Geosciences Inc.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Estimates suggest that the Great Basin region is capable of producing much greater amounts of geothermal energy than the current ~600 MW from ~24 power plants. Because most of the geothermal resources in this region are blind, it is imperative that the favorable characteristics for geothermal activity be synthesized and methodologies developed to discover new robust systems. Nine geologic, geochemical, and geophysical parameters were synthesized to produce a new detailed geothermal play fairway map of a large transect across the Great Basin region (96,000 km2) from west-central to eastern Nevada. These parameters were grouped into subsets to delineate rankings for local permeability, regional permeability, and heat, which collectively defined geothermal play fairways (i.e., most likely locations for significant geothermal fluid flow). The primary objective of this work was to reduce the risks in geothermal exploration and thus facilitate discovery of commercial-grade, blind geothermal fields. Two dozen highly prospective areas, including both known systems and previously undiscovered potential blind systems, have been identified across the region for further analysis, of which several will be selected for detailed studies. Multiple techniques, including detailed geologic mapping, shallow temperature surveys, detailed gravity surveys, LiDAR, geochemical studies, seismic reflection analysis, and 3D modeling, are being employed in the detailed studies. Initial work on the detailed studies has begun and will proceed over the next year.
- Research Organization:
- Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0006731
- OSTI ID:
- 1724099
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-UNR-06731-07; Journal Serial ID: ISSN No. 0193-5933
- Journal Information:
- GRC Transactions, Journal Name: GRC Transactions Vol. 40
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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