Sustainable Energy Opportunities within the Geothermal Continuum

The publication of "The Future of Geothermal Energy" in 2006, which resulted from a comprehensive assessment of US geothermal potential, brought renewed interest in Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) worldwide. The magnitude and accessibility of the geothermal resource within a continuum of grades, coupled with its predicted ability to provide baseload renewable electric power at large scales without carbon emissions, makes it a particularly attractive alternative to fossil-fuel-fired electricity production. Widespread deployment of geothermal energy to meet projected demand growth and to replace aging fossil generation capacity would significantly lower carbon emissions in the US as well as globally. The effects of resource quality, reservoir performance, and drilling technologies on EGS economic feasibility were examined parametrically to identify areas for intensified research and development.