Geothermal in U.S.

The US is the largest country in installed capacity for geothermal-powered equipment. According to the commentary on annual report of renewable energy in 1996, a power supply system with high applicable coefficient (always higher than 95%) and stability has been formed by concentrating daily operation and maintenance on geothermal power generation; in view of the economy, the supply equipment and turbine generation sets will be replaced for renew so as to raise efficiency and reliability; in regions of Oregonian, Idaho and California, heat supply systems in geothermal areas have been put into operation for several decades; 500,000 sets of heat pumps for soil resources have been put into use to supply heating in the winter and to supply cooling in the summer, resulting in mitigating the peak with the power load of 40%.

Geysers geothermal field, which is the largest geothermal power plant in the US and even the world, was known as its safety, cost-effective for generation and lower impact on environment, with an operation history of nearly 40 years. It is also an on-site research base. To inject the water outside the geothermal resources into the thermal storage in order to keep the pressure and production has been a notable breakthrough in the past 15 years in Geysers geothermal field. The US also conducted research on pairing geothermal resources (at least 50กใC) and communities (with the range within 8km locating to the geothermal resources) in 9 western states, and encourage these communities to develop the geothermal energy. 256 communities had been paired.

GRC Bull, a journal of US geothermal Resource Committee, has introduced an article on R & D column at the sixth issue of 1998 regarding the geothermal resources development planning and tactics drafted by the Geothermal Process Office of Energy Department at June, 1998 in order to realize the national energy system integrated strategy, with which covered 5 goads: to improve the efficiency of energy system; to ensure the reliability of energy system including to mitigate the weak link of the US economics impacted on the interrupt supply of petroleum and to ensure the reliability, flexibility and emergent reaction capability of the energy system; to promote the energy production and utilization focusing on sanitary and environment significance; to expand the alternatives for future energy; to promote the international cooperation on the global concerns including economics, safety and environment.

The responsibility of the Geothermal Process Office is to form a partnership with the geothermal industry contributing to make the geothermal energy likely to be utilized in the US and worldwide as an energy of sustainable, friendly to environment, competitive in markets. In mapping out the development planning and tactics, it is generally considered to make it possible that the geothermal resources pioneers to undertake the important task of replacing the polluted energy in the world before the year of 2010. The development planning and tactics of geothermal energy comprise of following 5 goals:

1.        For national electricity production, until the year of 2010, geothermal-powered electricity supply can reach 7 million households or 18 million populations, making geothermal generation into the most favorable electricity development program in the respect of economy and environment.

2.        For direct utilization and heat pump, until the year of 2010, the applications of directly utilizing and heat pump can expand to be able supply heating, cooling and heat water for 7 million households.

3.        For worldwide geothermal development, until the year of 2010, the geothermal-powered plants manufactured in the US will at least be equipped with the capacity of 10000MW so as to satisfy the basic electricity requirement in developing countries with a population of 100 million.

4.        For science and technologies, advances should be hiked to ensure the leading position of the US could be continued in the world geothermal energy.

5.        For future geothermal resource, new and innovative process should be developed so as to satisfy 10% of non-transportation energy requirement in the US.

If the above-mentioned goals can be achieved, effects can be accumulated as follows:

a.        Stimulating the national investment for geothermal facilities with an amount for 6.1 million US dollars,

b.        Obtaining oversea investment on geothermal generation with a market of 1.6 million US dollars,

c.        Creating a job availability for 1.6 million man/year in the US,

d.        Mitigating CO₂ emission with an amount of 80 to 100 MMTC in the US, 190 to 230 MMTC in the worldwide,

e.        180 million US dollars tariffs increment produced from the geothermal projects in the federal land.