Geothermal Research Consortium Launched by UT's Bureau of Economic Geology

---

Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--For decades geothermal has been the energy transition's stepsister compared to wind and solar. This is partly due to its previous limitations on location, harvesting methodology, and, to some measure, vision. Geothermal heat is most visible and economical in places like Yellowstone, Iceland, New Zealand, and other areas mostly at great distances from end users. Its advantages over the others include: it is a baseline source, it occupies little space, and it is wildlife-friendly.

So its future seems bright, and could get even brighter if geothermal companies of all sizes, focuses, and locations could pool their research and ideas. That's the idea behind the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology's (BEG) HotRock research consortium, announced to the public in November.

Its formation began early in 2023, with founding members Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) (London, England), SLB (NYSE:SLB) (Houston), and Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:CHK) (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), "With the Environmental Defense Fund being a kind of ex-officio member," said the consortium's Dr. Ken Wisian. Wisian is associate director of the BEG. For the consortium, he is group leader and a Principal Investigator (PI). Now fully operational, the group is open for membership to any company or group involved in geothermal research. Annual dues are listed at $75,000. Wisian said up until now, most geothermal work has been done by small, siloed startups while the majors, with a few exceptions, wait on the sidelines to see if the energy source can be made more economic.

The Vision
The HotRock vision is stated as being "An industry-funded research consortium to find and fill the science and technology gaps needed to further develop the geothermal-anywhere ecosystem. This will incorporate science, engineering, economics, policy, and entrepreneurship efforts...."

"It's so early, at least in this new revolution in geothermal, that no one has all the pieces yet," Wisian observed. That "new revolution" is looking to expand the industry's focus beyond the geothermally active "wet" regions, to "dry" areas where fluid can be injected to economically absorb heat from more moderate regions, expanding the energy source's availability and economic viability.

Economizing less-heated regions involves testing different media for transfer--instead of water or Rankine cycle fluids like pentane, some companies are testing carbon dioxide (CO2). Also in the works are ideas for expanding geothermal's end uses beyond grid-based power generation, to direct heat for buildings, greenhouses and neighborhoods.

The latter, Wisian pointed out, is the most energy efficient use, applying much closer to 100% of heat to the purpose. Any type of power generation involves considerable heat inefficiency. On direct use, "Europe is definitely ahead of us in that area." Stateside, he listed Idaho Falls, Idaho as one example, having used direct heat for decades.

"Unbreakable Power" for Military Security
As research broadens the locations and economics for geothermal, drop-in power generation becomes feasible, creating several advantages. One is that it no longer requires power grid expansion when used to power buildings or neighborhoods. New plants can also be placed in or next to retired coal generation facilities, to use existing infrastructure. But possibly even more significant is drop-in geothermal's military security application, Wisian explained.

"Among the first projects we (HotRock) worked on was a Department of Defense (DOD) project with a startup out of Houston called Sage Geosystems." Its purpose was to design a small power plant to generate electricity for Ellington Field, a military base on the south side of Houston.

One benefit of doing such a project in one of the nation's largest cities, home to hundreds of oil companies, would be that it would get positive publicity for geothermal among energy players who could take it to the next level. But the other is, for Wisian, relieving military bases from relying on civilian power grids, instead locating their power source where it can be heavily guarded. In that installation, the geothermal well will be in the middle of the base for maximum protection. "It's what I call unbreakable power."

The DOD is realizing this as well. Earlier in 2023, Wisian said, they began a major geothermal outreach, ordering geothermal power plant installation at six bases. As a retired U.S. Air Force general, Wisian has a deep personal interest in military energy security.

The Future is Hot for Rocks
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and tax credits have created more interest in geothermal research, with new projects being announced more often now, Wisian said. Geothermal's secondary applications are growing as well, including options for powering hydrogen separation, direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 and others. Wisian noted that geothermal's lack of greenhouse gas emissions is especially appropriate for DAC because, "You don't want to direct-air-capture carbon with a dirty fuel source." He noted that nuclear generation is currently the leading candidate for clean DAC power because of the intermittency of wind and solar.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).