Shifting Seasons: Geothermal Energy, groundbreaking technology in Central Oregon
Renewable energy is a clean and ecologically sound way to generate electricity that is replenished faster than it is used. The most common forms of renewable energy are hydropower, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy. The first three, hydro, solar and wind, are much more recognizable and more widely used, but geothermal energy is gaining traction across the globe.
For the most part, geothermal energy is harnessed by tapping into hot aquifers under the earth's surface to provide heat and electricity. The drawback is that you have to be near the the hot aquifers to extract the energy.
Iceland is considered a global leader in geothermal energy and usage. Icelanders tap into the heat from underground aquifers, fueled by the many volcanos that make up the island nation, to heat several locations and also generate electricity.
Locally, Klamath Falls sits on a geothermal hot spot, and uses the underground heat source to heat the Oregon Institute of Technology and some other buildings in the town.
But there are ways to extract heat from the earth without being over an existing heat source.
Currently, Southern Deschutes County is now a test site for this revolutionary form of geothermal heat energy extraction; Enhanced Geothermal Systems called the Newberry Project.
This is how it should work…By injecting cool water deep into the hot rock about 1 - 2 miles below the surface of the earth. That process creates a reservoir of water. This is done by expanding existing fissures in the rock and as the water is introduced, the cracks fill with water. This creates a spiderweb of hot water within the very hot rock that can be tapped into from other wells drilled nearby.
The plan then is to drill on each side of the newly formed reservoirs, extract the hot water to the surface to generate electricity from the hot water using steam turbines.
It is important to note that this process does not “fracture” the rock in the same way the fracking process used to extract natural gas and oil, which is much more aggressive and uses caustic chemicals in the process.
But there are concerns… this introduction is expected to generate some minor movement in the rock, and low-level earthquakes are likely to result. There is a chance for increased seismic activity… it is low, it is not zero, which is a major sticking point moving forward with this new “groundbreaking” process of generating energy from the earth.
Dr. Tattitch has some insight into the concerns about seismic activity.
"Certainly people will sometimes express concerns about the seismic hazard that geothermal exploration or geothermal energy might pose, but what I can say is that it's regulated by independent third parties. So for example, the USGS has the Cascade Volcano Observatory and their assets. And they're the experts." According to their analysis, there's no expectation for any change in any activity or increase in any volcanic hazard at Newbury volcano associated with the geothermal exploration.
So there are a variety of issues to think about when discussing geothermal energy. In theory it would seem simple to conceive of a way to grab the energy that is literally below our feet, but the byproducts of the drilling and the technology of extraction of the energy are still being developed.
Later this summer I will be taking a deeper dive into the Newberry Project and discuss some of the concerns and benefits that are associated with this "groundbreaking" process of harnessing heat from below our feet.
