GEOTHERMAL REPORT: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published its 2021 U.S. Geothermal Power Production and District Heating Market Report, which highlights areas where the geothermal power sector is primed for technological innovation. The report identifies significant opportunities for expanding power production through cutting-edge enhanced geothermal systems technology development; new power plant operational paradigms such as hybridization and thermal energy storage; and harnessing vast co-production potential from existing oil and gas infrastructure.
“This new report signals that the geothermal industry is poised to make big leaps into enhanced geothermal systems and the heating and cooling sector,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. “These market strides are reflected in the growth of power purchase agreements in recent years, and they outline the potential for the widespread deployment of this important renewable resource.”
As identified in DOE’s GeoVision study, improved technologies could help increase domestic geothermal power generation nearly 26-fold by 2050—reaching 60 gigawatts of available, baseload energy capacity. Increasing the use of geothermal energy for U.S. heating and cooling can significantly contribute to the Biden-Harris Administration’s decarbonization goals to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030 and achieve a carbon pollution-free electric sector by 2035.
The report highlighted the following:
— From the end of 2015 through the end of 2019, the United States brought seven new geothermal power plants online, adding 186 MW of nameplate capacity. In the same time, 11 plants were retired or classified as non-operational, subtracting 103 MW of nameplate capacity.
— Geothermal companies operating in the United States have a combined 58 active developing projects and prospects across nine states. Of these projects, five are in Phase 4, the phase immediately preceding project completion. Three are in Nevada, and two in California.
— Currently there are 23 geothermal district heating (GDH) systems in the United States. The oldest installation dates from 1892 (Boise, Idaho), and the most recent installation was completed in 2017 (Alturas, California).
NREL is the DOE’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
