EGS demonstration projects explore the greater potential for geothermal technology to provide reliable, cost-effective electricity using the earth’s abundant heat resources. Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the project will leverage the significant thermal resources in the Appalachian Utica Shale to assess the efficacy and scalability of EGS in the eastern United States.
“The Department of Energy’s investments in enhanced geothermal systems represent a key advancement in our national energy strategy as we explore innovative ways to reach and use geothermal resources beyond what is currently possible,” said Kyle Haustveit, Assistant Secretary of the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office. “As the first enhanced geothermal systems demonstration site located in the eastern United States, this project offers an important opportunity to assess the ability of such systems to deliver reliable, affordable geothermal electricity to Americans nationwide.”
Using geothermal resources for electricity production requires fluid to flow among hot rocks in the subsurface and then be drawn to the surface in the form of steam or hot water. While underground heat exists everywhere, many locations lack adequate water or conditions that facilitate fluid flow necessary to recover that heat energy.
In those cases, EGS can be used to create a human-made underground reservoir to tap that heat for energy. Demonstration projects are vital to help expand knowledge and data about EGS reservoirs and how they function, and to understand EGS in a variety of geographic locations, geologic formations, and subsurface conditions. Successful demonstrations will help spur further growth of geothermal energy.
The Pennsylvania EGS project activities will include converting a horizontal shale gas well to geothermal. The effort will assess optimal well orientations and placements, as well as test various techniques to create the fractures necessary for an enhanced geothermal system. If successful, the project will offer a replicable model that could expand the use of EGS in more locations nationwide.
