US Government Surpasses Google for Geothermal Funding

NOV 05

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"Dear RTL811: Not all geothermal heating involves hot water. You can i..."

Written by Philip Proefrock on 05/11/09

More than $300 million in funding for research and development of geothermal energy has been announced by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu. This now pushes Google.org into second place behind the government in domestic geothermal R & D funding.

The projects funded by this program address a number of issues which are needed in order to further develop geothermal energy, including advanced mapping and drilling research, coproduced power (such as utilizing hot water produced in some oil wells), and exploration of low temperature geothermal (under 300 degrees F, and down to as low as 165 degrees F). Some of these funds will go towards ground source heat pump research and demonstration projects, which do not generate power directly, but which use the energy they do consume for heating and cooling in a much more efficient manner.

This program also puts the United States well ahead of Australia, which last year spent $43.5 million on geothermal research.

The Department of Energy has published a list (PDF) of all 123 projects under this program.

USDOE Press Release

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US ahead?
written by Green Ninja, November 05, 2009

Wow...it's refreshing to finally see the US taking initiative to surpass other countries in terms of alternative energy funding. Bring on Copenhagen!

...
written by Carrie, November 05, 2009

How many more years is it going to be researched, it is time to build. moderate binary geothermal already works well but we still only have 1 in the country, it is using water that is 165f almost half the boiling point passed through a heat transfer to heat R-134a boiling point
-15F to spin the turbine. Same thing can be done using a soler water heater and skip the expensive drilling.
chena hot springs geothermal uses water at 165f not boiling

The dangers of geothermal energy
written by RTL811, November 06, 2009

Geothermal energy is not a free lunch, there are many dangers.

Hot-rock geothermal obtains heat from the radioactive decay of large granite bodies. The granite body must be cracked so that water can be pumped into the rock. Large amounts of water are required, and the water returning to the surface is contaminated with radioactive materials and various heavy metals from the minerals in the rock.

A large scale geothermal power plant is a significant threat to the environment.

Another problem with geothermal energy is the removal of the energy itself. This will result in shrinkage of the rock body as it cools. Expect local earthquakes and tremors as a result.

Viable Point Solution
written by Global Patriot, November 08, 2009

While geothermal power generation is very much a point specific solution, the technology has the potential to provide energy in a variety of locations throughout the world and it's utilization is long overdue.

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written by Richard, November 09, 2009

Well, this is one step to a realization of a goal. At any rate, this is good news because we lessen foreign energy dependency and we also lessen greenhouse gas emissions by a percentage. I think it's a major achievement.

Ball State Goes Geothermal
written by Justin Miller, November 13, 2009

One of the projects that received assistance from the DOE is Ball State's campus-wide geothermal (ground source heat pump) project that when completed will heat and cool 44 campus buildings. Just as important, it will save us $2M per year in money currently used for coal and cut our carbon emissions for the campus by more than 80,000 tons. See www.bsu.edu/geothermal for more information as the project continues.

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written by Richard Davine, November 13, 2009

Geothermal is an awesome idea for base load power, but I think we have greater savings with radically reducing the amount of power we use by radically increasing our efficiencies. Still it's good to see the US upping the bar, let's see if they can reach spending $2 per American on Geothermal like us Aussies have. The $300 mil equals closer to $1.
;^]

Rebuttal to RTL811
written by Carol S., January 11, 2010

Dear RTL811: Not all geothermal heating involves hot water. You can install a geothermal heat pump in your backyard. At least one property developer in Canada, Marshall Homes, offers geothermal heating that does not involve hot water, but draws heating and cooling energy directly from the soil. It adds $30K to the cost of a house, but you will recoup the cost in 15 years if your annual heating bill is $2,000.

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