Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Energy Information How Geothermal Works An Overview of Geothermal Information Oregon Geothermal Resource Map Where are Geothermal Resources Located? Oregon Geothermal Working Group Ground-Source Heat Pump Information Outside Links How Geothermal Works Geothermal comes from the Greek words meaning earth heat. From earliest times, people have used geothermal water that flowed freely from the earth's surface as hot springs. Today we drill wells into geothermal reservoirs to bring the hot water to the surface. Once the hot water travels up the wells to the surface, they can be used directly to heat buildings or to generate electricity in power plants. Overview of Geothermal Energy The city of Klamath Falls uses geothermal energy directly to supply heat for a district heating system. Geothermal heat sources in several other Oregon counties supply heat to buildings, swimming pools and resorts and industrial uses. There is no generation of electricity from geothermal sources within the state of Oregon. However, there are several sites where geological data suggest a resource sufficient for power generation may exist. The potential for production of electricity from Oregon´s geothermal resources has been explored at three sites in Oregon. In 1996, CalEnergy Company received a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council to build a 30-megawatt geothermal power plant near the Newberry Volcanic Monument in Deschutes County. However, despite considerable investment in exploratory drilling, the company did not find a source of heat and steam sufficient for generating electricity. The company canceled the Newberry project and is now pursuing a similar project in northern California. Other exploration has occurred near Vale and in the Alvord Dessert near Borax Lake. The latter site is no longer feasible due to the risk of harm to the endangered Borax Lake chub. The exploration at the Vale site failed to locate a geothermal source adequate for generating electricity. Resource uncertainty as well as high development and exploration costs are substantial barriers to future development of geothermal sources for power production. The location of potential geothermal sources in environmentally sensitive areas has been a barrier to siting geothermal power facilities in the state. http://www.oregon.gov