HAPPENING NOW | “The Future of Geothermal Energy,” an in-depth discussion on the uses of geothermal energy/enhanced geothermal systems in direct heating & low-carbon electricity generation, w/ @eacowen, @TimMLatimer & @Klpalmer7. https://www.rff.org/events/advanced-energy-technologies-series/future-geothermal-energy/

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2/ We're diving in with an overview of the basics of #geothermal energy, courtesy of @eacowen. He'll discuss where reservoirs exist, how improved technology is increasing access, and how geothermal is used in direct use applications.

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3/ @eacowen discusses @Cornell’s “living laboratory” approach toward a #CarbonNeutral campus. “We’re about 30,000 people on campus, which is 1/1000th the state of New York, which makes us a great microcosm to test at scale heating and cooling systems.”

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4/ “ @Cornell campus sits on top of a relatively warm outcropping of heat,” @eacowen says. “As you can see out west, there’s a tremendous amount of heat, but it’s lesser-known that there’s heat outcroppings over much of the US.”

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5/ @eacowen: “In New York state, #FossilFuels contribute 30% of GHGs… and heating is one-third of that fossil fuel combustion in the state.” Converting the entire @Cornell campus to Earth-source heating would reduce the campus #electricity bill by ~93%.

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6/ @TimMLatimer discusses #geothermal energy’s power sector applications: where it’s currently used for power generation, growth prospects, and potential cost competitiveness with other power generation technologies.

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7/ #Geothermal "is an extraordinarily powerful resource," says @TimMLatimer. "[It] has increasing amounts of value as grids start pushing to deeper and deeper levels of #decarbonization.

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8/ 25 countries already have geothermal energy production; another 25 countries are currently developing the technology and will have #geothermal energy soon.

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9/ @TimMLatimer: “We’ve seen really rapid growth in emerging markets ... In Kenya, they’ve had tremendously rapid growth where they now get about 60% of their electricity from #geothermal and have one of the cleanest grids in the world as a result.”

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10/ @TimMLatimer says there are a lot of upsides, but also a lot of challenges to development, including:

Cost of development
Permitting
Financing

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11/ @TimMLatimer: "Geothermal hasn’t scaled to the degree that we’ve seen for wind and solar, in part due to lower repeatability."

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12/ “[Geothermal is] highly capital-intensive, and a lot of investment has to come upfront in a risky drilling face where you might not even find resources. Historically, only about 2 out of 3 geothermal wells are successful," says @TimMLatimer.

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13/ @TimMLatimer: “If we can build #geothermal at scale—especially since it’s a 24/7 source of energy—it could be the missing piece of the puzzle that allows us to #decarbonize the electric grid.”

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14/ @eacowen: The oil and gas industry has had a leg up, and existing policies have accelerated its development. There are more hurdles with #renewables—wind, solar, and geothermal energies.

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15/ @eacowen on the risk of induced seismicity: A huge difference in the case of #geothermal is that we’re not fracturing & breaking up the rock at low depth—we’re creating just enough porosity to help things flow. With geothermal, the risk is exponentially lower."

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16/ “Would a #CarbonTax make a difference in geothermal deployment today? Yes, it would make a tremendous difference,” @TimMLatimer says. Geothermal most often competes with #NatGas, and a carbon tax could "level the playing field" in terms of cost.

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17/ Even without any incentives, @eacowen says they’re projecting that the cost of a #geothermal well in Ithaca would pay for itself on a 30-year timeline. “The operating costs are minimal.”

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18/ @eacowen on the question of #WaterPollution associated w/ #geothermal: Enhanced geothermal energy systems are very different from hydrofracking for methane. Geothermal is lower impact; water is relatively absent of additives; the water is recyclable.

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19/ @TimMLatimer says #geothermal has "a much lower footprint" with regard to #water consumption: "It uses much less water per MW of energy production than oil or natural gas ... It's a major net win for water in the power sector."

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That concludes our event (and this thread)! This #RFFlive webinar was recorded, and a video will be uploaded to our website and YouTube channel soon.

In the meantime, visit the RFF events page for more information about recent and upcoming events! https://www.rff.org/events/ 

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