Advancing Geothermal Research with Impact Analysis (Text Version)
This is a text version of the video "Advancing Geothermal Research with Impact Analysis."
[Music plays throughout]
Chad Augustine: So, the importance of analysis for geothermal is showing that it's not just costs that are important in having this technology be deployed. It's other barriers –
Kevin McCabe: Things like risks, things cost benefit analysis.
Chad Augustine: Things like financing, other regulatory barriers.
Kevin McCabe: Just reducing the construction timeline of a geothermal project and result in hundred of megawatts of additional deployment. These are some of the non technical sides of geothermal that people don't really think about but can have a major impact.
One of the technologies that we really see that the forefront of geothermal energy is something called enhanced geothermal systems. Analysis in that space has really started with the technical aspect, understanding how we can create these reservoirs at depth. The next step and really, what's the most exciting part right now is understanding how the economics play into that as well. Will it be economically feasible to do something like this?
Katherine Young: Let's take high temperature electronics and materials, we could really use some of the technologies down hole. What impact would these new materials and electronics have on reducing these costs? And, to what temperature do we need to get to to be the most impactful?
Analysis can also help us by looking at other industries that might benefit from these technologies that could help commercialize the technologies and help reduce the costs.
Chad Augustine: We try to be as objective as possible. And, if that means that we look at ideas that, you know, look good on paper, seems like it's be a good idea but the numbers just don't pan out, we're not afraid to say, "This isn't working." or, "This isn't gonna work."
Katherine Young: Whether we're looking at how to do geothermal anywhere or, how do we reduce the cost of wells? All of which impact both geothermal heat and geothermal power, analysis underlies all of these questions.
[Music fades]
[End of audio]
Share