Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.govProgram Name or Ancillary Texteere.energy.gov DOE’s Geothermal Program Activities Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program Enel Stillwater - Courtesy of Enel Green Power – North America

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Program Mission Lower the cost of geothermal electricity and reduce the upfront risk of geothermal exploration to establish geothermal energy as a significant contributor to America’s future electricity generation. 2 Mission

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Geothermal Technologies Program Recent Budget Trends Recovery Act funding and steady increases in FY 2009 – FY 2012 budget requests reflect the Administration’s support for geothermal RD&D. 3 Innovative Exploration Technologies $97.2 Ground Source Heat Pumps EGS R&D National Geothermal Data System Low Temperature, Coproduced & Geopressured EGS Demos $44.2 $18.7 $33.7 $62.4

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Exploration: Challenges & Approach Challenges The exploration phase of geothermal development is a financially risky venture Some resources show no surface expressions, making them difficult to confirm Making geothermal competitive with conventional sources Source: Sierra Geothermal Power Approach Develop exploration tools for resource confirmation in undiscovered geothermal fields to reduce high upfront exploration risk and cost. Conduct Regional Data Gathering Continue R&D to lower operation and maintenance costs

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Innovative Exploration Technologies (IET) 5 TechnologyDescription Remote SensingData collected from air/space (LiDAR, InSAR) can be used to identify surface indicators of a geothermal resource for large or inaccessible areas SeismicA technique used in oil and gas exploration, analyzes sound waves reflected from geologic features to improve drilling success Shallow Temperature Survey Shallow (2m) temperature readings can be a quick, cost effective way to target potential geothermal resources Stress/Strain Measurements Mechanical relationships between stress and strain can be used to predict the orientation of permeable faults – valuable information when deciding where to drill TracersTracers can be used to gather data on the thermal characteristics of a resource DrillingDrilling is the most common method for exploration, but is high cost – these methods look at improving techniques and reducing costs GeochemistrySub-soil gas, hydrocarbon, and isotope data can be used to identify possible up-flow areas - a simple and cost- effective method to target resources with no surface expression New Combination of Technologies Validating combinations of technologies (including those adapted from oil and gas ) can improve the overall exploration well success rate for a variety of geologic formations New combinations of technologies $24.5 M Geochemistry $13.8 M Tracers$2.5 M Stress/strain measurements Shallow temperature survey $1.0 M $3.3M 5

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Project Locations 30 GW of undiscovered resources The USGS estimates there is a mean of 30 GWe of undiscovered hydrothermal in the 13 western states Once confirmed, these resources can be brought online with existing technologies Ref. USGS 2008 with projects in Alaska and Hawaii

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov 2011 Progress Seven new exploration wells have been drilled Currently drilling 1 well in the Snake River Plain 17 projects in active exploration phases throughout the western U.S. Project Highlights Calpine at Caldwell Ranch, CA Preliminary results from three wells drilled show a good resource and a combined capacity of about 12MW. Ormat at Maui, HI Demonstrating viability and cost-effectiveness of merged gravity-helimagnetics for geothermal exploration. Flint Geothermal in Denver, CO Demonstrating viability and cost-effectiveness of using remote sensing data for early stage geothermal exploration in Colorado.

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Exploration Technologies Roadmapping How can we advance geothermal exploration technologies to significantly lower exploration risk and cost?

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Exploration Roadmapping Technical roadmapping is ongoing to establish metrics for the area. Needs Assessment established 10 technical advancement needs that could lower exploration costs and risk. Will use those needs to establish specific metrics and milestones to achieve cost and risk reduction. Will use the NGDS to make geothermal data available to the public and reduce the risk associated with the initial stages of geothermal project development. 9 Ten Exploration Technology Needs Non-invasive geophysical techniques and improved data collection and interpretation for existing techniques Improved invasive measurements tools and techniques Improved next-generation geophysical airborne data Improved geochemical techniques to estimate reservoir temperature and processes High resolution remote sensing data and reliable automated processing methods Stress/strain data mapping Multi-disciplinary conceptual models 3-D modeling software Identification of potential surface signals that identify deeper, hidden systems Create case study examples of geothermal systems in different settings Examined five exploration technology areas: 1.Geophysics4. Geology 2.Remote sensing5. Cross cutting 3.Geochemistry

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov The Program collaborates with industry, universities and national laboratories on R&D, which drives cost reductions for all geothermal systems. Total: $111.9 M Polycrystalline diamond compact drill bit which has worn down in hard rock (right) and must be replaced – adding time and cost to drilling. The Program is investing in innovative drilling technologies – including hydrothermal spallation, (right) which use superheated water to cut through rock and have no mechanical parts to replace. Investment in component R&D topics is informed by: Expert input Risk assessments Technology roadmapping Which inform the program about which technologies can make the biggest impact on cost of electricity. While some technologies can be critical to a specific subprogram, the technologies developed will benefit the entire spectrum of geothermal resources. ARRA R&D Subtopic Areas Funding Component R&D 10

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov DE-FOA : Geothermal Technology Advancement for Rapid Development of Resources in the U.S. Main Objective: Accelerate the development and use of geothermal energy by addressing the high exploration and drilling risks and costs of development and key technical barriers for enhanced geothermal systems in reservoir creation and sustainability. Topic Areas: 1.Advanced Exploratory Drilling Technologies 2.Advanced Well Completion Technologies 3.Zonal Isolation 4.Observation Tools and Data Collection Systems for Reservoir Stimulation 5.Geophysical Exploration Technologies 6.Geochemistry/Rock-Fluid Interactions Link to FOA: Please submit any questions regarding the FOA to

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Useful Links GTP Home Page: GTP Project Database: Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA :

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energyeere.energy.gov Thank you for your attention 13