Geothermal And Politics

The renewable energy source Democrats hope will break out; Climate advocates and lawmakers believe the $320 billion in tax incentives promoting renewables like geothermal will remain mostly unchanged.

Jonathan Custodio, January 17, 2022 (Politico)

“…[Geothermal energy was included in the bipartisan infrastructure package passed last fall which could lead to technology breakthroughs and cost reductions. The] initial cost for a geothermal energy field and power plant is about $2,500 per kilowatt…In 2019, the average cost for onshore wind generators was $1,391 per kilowatt, while solar energy averaged at $1,796 per kilowatt…

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Geothermal energy only accounted for two percent of total energy consumption in 2020…[But researchers] are working to better identify areas where the rocks have the permeability best suited for geothermal development. So far that’s mostly limited to hotspots in states such as California and Nevada, which combined account for 95% of domestic production…But a newer technology, called enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS, only needs a heat source and uses hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — the same technology used by the oil and gas industries — to increase the permeability of the rock…

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Since geothermal energy is essentially a heat exchanger, it thrives better in colder temperatures…[and some systems] emit very low levels of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide…Environmental impacts include increased [but cirmcumscribed and limited] seismic activity…Possibly the strongest argument for greater adoption of geothermal systems is that power plants can produce energy around the clock since the heat in the earth’s core is available 24/7, unlike its wind and solar companions…” click here for more

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