As our world pushes toward a future of cleaner, greener energy, we've seen a variety of power sources gain popularity. Wind and solar power are both in a significant boom, thanks to improving technology and easier, more affordable access. But in many places, groups are looking to another source of power to help ease the transition away from planet-warming dirty energy: geothermal power.
We sat down with Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, as well as Bryce Carter, the Colorado Energy Office's geothermal program manager, to discuss what geothermal technology entails, how the technology has advanced, what potential risks it carries, and how the state's initiatives are helping to move them to the cutting edge of this burgeoning industry.
When we talk about geothermal energy, there are actually two different kinds of geothermal power, according to Carter: shallow and deep geothermal power.
Shallow geothermal energy, also known as low-temperature geothermal energy, is generally what we use to heat and cool buildings. Pipes filled with water (and sometimes other fluids) are run from buildings into the ground, where they loop and exchange heat with the ground, and then are sent back to the surface, where that energy is used to either heat the air or cool it.
"We're finding that this method is actually very efficient, compared to gas and other options of air source heat pumps," Carter said. "As we look at the grid, we look at resiliency, and we look especially at increases in demand, we see a lot of benefits there."
This low-temperature geothermal has been the primary focus of the Energy Office's initiatives, through their Geothermal Energy Grant Program. Currently in its second round of project applications, the Grant Program was designed to help highlight the benefits of geothermal energy over the long term.
"We start to look out over the next couple of decades, there's substantial savings, but the market still needs to catch up for helping to develop these projects," Carter said. "So this funding is really to help highlight the opportunities that geothermal energy can provide, whether it's for heating and cooling, all the way up to electricity development, and really help accelerate that emerging market, so we can get the workforce in place, and we can begin to really demonstrate these technologies that we'll see more and more organic growth."
The Energy Office's first round of funding saw $7.7 million distributed to 35 different projects, ranging from thermal energy networks (where a group of buildings are connected to each other to share and trade heat and cool air, depending on what's needed where), to single-structure geothermal projects (like heat pumps), to electricity development.
"A lot of communities are looking at the benefits of sharing heat across multiple structures, as well as utilizing what would otherwise be waste heat," Carter said.
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However, low-temperature geothermal isn't the only thing the Energy Office has been looking at. Deep geothermal, or high-temperature geothermal, is not yet strictly defined, but it generally refers to drilling deep into the bedrock of the earth's crust, at least 2,500 feet, looking to find temperatures hotter than 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Fluid is then pumped down into those rocks, often in a procedure similar to fracking, and then withdrawn again to produce steam and energy.
While the grant program has focused primarily on low-temperature initiatives, the Energy Office has been working with groups on projects to produce clean energy via high-temperature geothermal plants and projects. The first round of awardees represented 35 megawatts of potential power, and Carter hopes that through those demonstrations, they could scale up to 100 megawatts of power in the next couple of years.
While there are some risks associated with deep geothermal energy, Carter noted that they aren't looking for pockets of hydrocarbons like natural gas the way they do in fracking, and that the technology used by the oil and gas industry to map the rock deep underground further minimizes risk of land instability that comes along with traditional fracking.
"If you're doing geothermal energy development," Toor said, "it means that you are not having to do natural gas combustion turbines, and everything that comes with drilling for that natural gas. In the trade-off, the risks associated with geothermal energy are very low."
Toor also noted that with much of the technology also in place in what are now Colorado's oil and natural gas fields, converting those fields to geothermal energy plants would have a minimal environmental impact, particularly compared to the dirty energy sources currently in place there.
"The lessons learned from the oil and gas industry are being applied," Toor said. "So protecting water resources, emissions, and all other factors are being considered as part of the regulatory process."
Toor and Carter were quick to note that while the state was also pushing solar and wind energy initiatives as well, geothermal would play an integral role in the state's green energy push moving forward.
"You need some form of dispatchable energy generation, electricity that's available 24/7, to simply make the grid function," Toor said. "Right now, that's using what's known as gas combustion turbines to back up the wind and solar, but as you move closer and closer to zero emissions, you have to replace the gas turbines with something else that's available 24/7, but is zero emissions, and that's a perfect role for geothermal."
If you're in Colorado and are interested in geothermal heating and cooling for your house or neighborhood, Carter encouraged you to visit the state's geothermal website for more information. He also noted there is a tax credit in the state for installing a heat pump in your home or business. He encouraged readers to reach out with any questions at the email address listed on their website.
Ultimately, the geothermal energy project in Colorado is helping to drive this new technology forward, and the state's grant program ensures they'll be on the cutting edge of energy technology as we explore this potential game-changing source of power.
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