The value of in-reservoir energy storage for flexible dispatch of geothermal power

Ricks, Wilson; Norbeck, Jack; Jenkins, Jesse

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118807

The value of in-reservoir energy storage for flexible dispatch of geothermal power

Journal Article · Mon Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2022 · Applied Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118807· OSTI ID:1976851

^[1]; Norbeck, Jack ^[2]; ^[3]

Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); OSTI
Fervo Energy Company, Houston, TX (United States)
Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

Geothermal systems making use of advanced drilling and well stimulation techniques have the potential to provide tens to hundreds of gigawatts of clean electricity generation in the United States by 2050. With near-zero variable costs, geothermal plants have traditionally been envisioned as providing “baseload” power, generating at their maximum rated output at all times. However, as variable renewable energy sources (VREs) see greater deployment in energy markets, baseload power is becoming increasingly less competitive relative to flexible, dispatchable generation and energy storage. Herein we conduct an analysis of the potential for future geothermal plants to provide both of these services, taking advantage of the natural properties of confined, engineered geothermal reservoirs to store energy in the form of accumulated, pressurized geofluid and provide flexible load-following generation. We develop a linear optimization model based on multi-physics reservoir simulations that captures the transient pressure and flow behaviors within a confined, engineered geothermal reservoir. We then optimize the investment decisions and hourly operations of a power plant exploiting such a reservoir against a set of historical and modeled future electricity price series. Further, we find that operational flexibility and in-reservoir energy storage can significantly enhance the value of geothermal plants in markets with high VRE penetration, with energy value improvements of up to 60% relative to conventional baseload plants operating under identical conditions. Across a range of realistic subsurface and operational conditions, our modeling demonstrates that confined, engineered geothermal reservoirs can provide large and effectively free energy storage capacity, with round-trip storage efficiencies comparable to those of leading grid-scale energy storage technologies. Optimized operational strategies indicate that flexible geothermal plants can provide both short- and long-duration energy storage, prioritizing output during periods of high electricity prices. Sensitivity analysis assesses the variation in outcomes across a range of subsurface conditions and cost scenarios.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Fervo Energy Company, Houston, TX (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Office of SBIR/STTR Programs (SBIR/STTR)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0020823

OSTI ID:: 1976851

Journal Information:: Applied Energy, Journal Name: Applied Energy Journal Issue: C Vol. 313; ISSN 0306-2619

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (25)

Off-design performance comparison of an organic Rankine cycle under different control strategies Hu, Dongshuai; Zheng, Ya; Wu, Yi Applied Energy, Vol. 156 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.07.029	journal	October 2015
The value of energy storage in decarbonizing the electricity sector de Sisternes, Fernando J.; Jenkins, Jesse D.; Botterud, Audun Applied Energy, Vol. 175 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.05.014	journal	August 2016
The benefits of nuclear flexibility in power system operations with renewable energy Jenkins, J. D.; Zhou, Z.; Ponciroli, R. Applied Energy, Vol. 222 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.002	journal	July 2018
Long-run system value of battery energy storage in future grids with increasing wind and solar generation Mallapragada, Dharik S.; Sepulveda, Nestor A.; Jenkins, Jesse D. Applied Energy, Vol. 275 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115390	journal	October 2020
Grid flexibility and storage required to achieve very high penetration of variable renewable electricity Denholm, Paul; Hand, Maureen Energy Policy, Vol. 39, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.019	journal	March 2011
Improving estimates of transmission capital costs for utility-scale wind and solar projects to inform renewable energy policy Gorman, Will; Mills, Andrew; Wiser, Ryan Energy Policy, Vol. 135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110994	journal	December 2019
Induced seismicity associated with Enhanced Geothermal Systems Majer, Ernest L.; Baria, Roy; Stark, Mitch Geothermics, Vol. 36, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2007.03.003	journal	June 2007
Thermal breakthrough calculations to optimize design of a multiple-stage Enhanced Geothermal System Li, Tianyu; Shiozawa, Sogo; McClure, Mark W. Geothermics, Vol. 64 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2016.06.015	journal	November 2016
The Role of Firm Low-Carbon Electricity Resources in Deep Decarbonization of Power Generation Sepulveda, Nestor A.; Jenkins, Jesse D.; de Sisternes, Fernando J. Joule, Vol. 2, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.08.006	journal	November 2018
Power system decarbonization: Impacts of energy storage duration and interannual renewables variability Jafari, Mehdi; Korpås, Magnus; Botterud, Audun Renewable Energy, Vol. 156 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.04.144	journal	August 2020
Geothermal battery energy storage Green, Sidney; McLennan, John; Panja, Palash Renewable Energy, Vol. 164 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.09.083	journal	February 2021
Review of energy system flexibility measures to enable high levels of variable renewable electricity Lund, Peter D.; Lindgren, Juuso; Mikkola, Jani Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 45 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.01.057	journal	May 2015
Flexibility requirements of renewable energy based electricity systems – a review of research results and methodologies Kondziella, Hendrik; Bruckner, Thomas Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 53 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.199	journal	January 2016
Impacts of variable renewable energy on wholesale markets and generating assets in the United States: A review of expectations and evidence Mills, Andrew D.; Levin, Todd; Wiser, Ryan Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 120 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109670	journal	March 2020
Flexible Opportunities with Geothermal Technology: Barriers and Opportunities Matek, Benjamin The Electricity Journal, Vol. 28, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2015.09.020	journal	November 2015
Carbon‐Neutral Pathways for the United States Williams, James H.; Jones, Ryan A.; Haley, Ben AGU Advances, Vol. 2, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020AV000284	journal	January 2021
Theory of heat extraction from fractured hot dry rock Gringarten, A. C.; Witherspoon, P. A.; Ohnishi, Yuzo Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 80, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1029/JB080i008p01120	journal	March 1975
The design space for long-duration energy storage in decarbonized power systems Sepulveda, Nestor A.; Jenkins, Jesse D.; Edington, Aurora Nature Energy, Vol. 6, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00796-8	journal	March 2021
Renewable Electricity Futures for the United States Mai, Trieu; Hand, M. Maureen; Baldwin, Samuel F. IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Vol. 5, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1109/TSTE.2013.2290472	journal	April 2014
Impact of Operational Flexibility on Electricity Generation Planning With Renewable and Carbon Targets Palmintier, Bryan S.; Webster, Mort D. IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Vol. 7, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1109/TSTE.2015.2498640	journal	April 2016
The Potential to Improve the Value of U.S. Geothermal Electricity Generation Through Flexible Operations Millstein, Dev; Dobson, Patrick; Jeong, Seongeun Journal of Energy Resources Technology, Vol. 143, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4048981	journal	November 2020
Multifluid geo-energy systems: Using geologic CO ₂ storage for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage in sedimentary basins Buscheck, Thomas A.; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.; Edmunds, Thomas A. Geosphere, Vol. 12, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01207.1	journal	May 2016
Energy Sprawl or Energy Efficiency: Climate Policy Impacts on Natural Habitat for the United States of America McDonald, Robert I.; Fargione, Joseph; Kiesecker, Joe PLoS ONE, Vol. 4, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0006802	journal	August 2009
Global Value Chain and Manufacturing Analysis on Geothermal Power Plant Turbines Akar, Sertac; Augustine, Chad; Kurup, Parthiv DOE Geothermal Data Repository; National Renewable Energy Laboratory https://doi.org/10.15121/1452766	dataset	January 2018
A Three-Dimensional Reservoir, Wellbore, and Hydraulic Fracturing Simulator that is Compositional and Thermal, Tracks Proppant and Water Solute Transport, Includes Non-Darcy and Non-Newtonian Flow, and Handles Fracture Closure McClure, Mark W.; Kang, Charles A. Day 3 Wed, February 22, 2017 https://doi.org/10.2118/182593-MS	conference	February 2017

Similar Records

Optimal Economic Dispatch and Load-Following Strategies for Nuclear Integrated Energy Systems

Journal Article · Sun Jul 06 20:00:00 EDT 2025 · IEEE Access · OSTI ID:2573833

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
EGS
Energy & Fuels
Engineering
flexibility
geothermal
solar
storage
wind

The value of in-reservoir energy storage for flexible dispatch of geothermal power

Citation Formats

References (25)

Similar Records

Related Subjects