Energy Department Addresses Largest Gathering of Geothermal Energy Stakeholders
October 4, 2012
U.S. Department of Energy
investments are tapping a vast resource of clean, baseload energy from the
earth's heat, according to Douglas Hollett, Program Manager for the
Department's Geothermal Technologies Office. Hollett addressed over 1,000 this
week at the annual conference of the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) in
Reno, Nevada—the industry's largest annual gathering of
geothermal energy stakeholders in the nation. In his keynote address, Hollett
discussed public-private successes in identifying and validating geothermal
resources in the western United States as well as the Department's work in
research and development aimed at reducing deployment costs.
The Energy Department supports
research by the national laboratories and academia as well as projects that are
scaling up to commercial readiness, including conventional hydrothermal
technology and Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) - which significantly expands
conventional hydrothermal resources by accessing deeper, hotter, tighter rock
formations.
To encourage ongoing research in
the field, Hollett recognized James Faulds of the University of Nevada, Reno,
whose landmark research in characterizing structural controls of EGS and
conventional geothermal reservoirs won him top marks across the board in the
program's annual peer review.
To see a copy of Doug Hollett's GRC presentation, click here.