At 30th annual Geothermal Workshop, experts say the industry is gaining steam
A panoramic view of the Geysers geothermal power plant in Geysers, Calif. The site, located above Santa Rosa, is the largest geothermal development in the world.
BY KENNETH M. DIXON
One hundred miles south of the largest geothermal development in the world—The Geysers in the hills above Santa Rosa, Calif.—more than 120 geothermal energy experts from around the globe gathered last week to discuss new ideas on the exploration, development and use of geothermal resources. Meeting from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 in the Arrillaga Alumni Center, they also celebrated the Stanford Geothermal Workshop's 30-year history of improving the renewable energy source's viability. The Stanford Geothermal Program, currently headed by Professor Roland Horne and Senior Research Engineer Kewen Li of the Petroleum Engineering Department, sponsored the three-day event.
"As an international meeting, the Stanford Geothermal Workshop has become one of the primary forums for presentation and discussion of new ideas associated with geothermal energy development," Horne said. "The workshop format, less formal than a conference, promotes interaction among participants and encourages attendees to offer their ideas under development as well as those already completed."
In a typical year, participants from 10 to 12 countries will present nearly 70 papers, including three or four from Stanford researchers. Horne, Li and doctoral student Chih-Ying Chen all presented this year.
Geothermal resourceHumans use more geothermal energy than wind or solar, the other forms of so-called green energy. When appropriate geology, surface location and demand all coincide, hot water from deep within the earth can be brought to the surface for direct use, or it can pass steam through a turbine to generate electricity. Some environmental impacts exist—fluid disposal and release of dissolved carbon dioxide—but they pale in comparison to those of fossil fuels like coal and oil, according to Horne.
It's helpful to think of geothermal resources as analogous to oil reservoirs, he said. In both cases, developers extract liquid from permeable rock for use as an energy source. The same expertise applies to both fields and explains why the Geothermal Program resides in the Department of Petroleum Engineering. The problem of predicting volume and quality, and therefore economic value, exists for both oil and geothermal deposits, but especially geothermal.
"Uncertainty causes delays in development, raises the project costs and makes financing more difficult," Horne explained. "Improving the forecast of reservoir behavior will render geothermal energy a more viable and a more efficient resource."
For 30 years now, the Geothermal Program has accomplished exactly that, he said. The annual workshop it hosts has long provided a forum for researchers to exchange information and ideas. In addition, the program has graduated more than 120 engineers who have worked for GeothermEX, Unocal Geothermal, Calpine and other companies in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Turkey, Kenya, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and New Zealand.
Ten years ago, the future of geothermal looked modest. But now, according to Horne, oil and gas are more expensive, governments are pushing for more green energy and consumers are showing they'll pay extra. It appears that the geothermal industry is gaining steam.
Kenneth M. Dixon is a science-writing intern at the Stanford News Service.
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