Study examines geothermal energy potential
A recently released Department of Energy (DOE) study maintains geothermal electricity generation could increase more than 26-fold from today, reaching 60 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity by 2050.
“There is enormous untapped potential for geothermal energy in the United States,” Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said. “Making geothermal more affordable can increase our energy options for a more diverse electricity generation mix and innovative heating and cooling solutions for Americans.”
The GeoVision analysis broke down how geothermal can enhance heating and cooling solutions for American residential and commercial consumers through direct use and heat pump technologies.
The DOE said the study represents a multi-year collaboration among industry, academia, the National Laboratories, and federal agencies to evaluate the potential for different geothermal resources. It assessed opportunities to expand nationwide geothermal energy deployment through 2050 by improving technologies, reducing costs, and addressing project development barriers such as long permitting timelines.
With regard to the electric sector, the study showed geothermal generation capacity will grow to 6 GW by 2050 – adding by accelerating geothermal development timelines, geothermal capacity could more than double from current levels to 13 GW.
Geothermal capacity could further increase to 60 GW by combining faster development timelines with technology improvements, per the analysis.
A non-electric sector review revealed technology improvements could enable more than 17,500 geothermal district-heating installations nationwide while 28 million households could realize cost-effective heating and cooling solutions through the use of geothermal heat pumps.
