Geothermal Energy

What is Geothermal Power?

Originally, geothermal energy was harnessing the naturally occurring heat or stream from rock below the Earth’s surface to run power plants, heat or cool homes. Now, with new technologies geothermal energy can be artificially created almost anywhere in the world. There are four different ways to do this:

1. Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) creates energy by drilling into hot rock and injecting high-pressurized cold water into the hot rock, which creates stream that can be used as energy. The US has 200 zettajoules (ZJ) that are currently extractable and 1 zettajoule is approximately the world’s energy production in a year.
2. Geothermal Hydrocarbon Co-Production (GHCP) generates power from usable geothermal fluids found in oil and gas production fields and in mining operations. This cuts costs by sharing the expense with ongoing oil or gas production and uses waste.
3. Geopressured Geothermal Resources (GGR) consists of gas-saturated brines contained in sandstone reservoirs under higher than normal confining pressure and temperature. The chemicals in the brine can be used to make energy. Scientists estimate there is a 200-year supply of energy that would meet the 2002 demand level.
4. Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) relies on the constant temperature below the Earth’s surface as a source of heating and cooling. Using a system of underground pipes, air or antifreeze is pumped into the ground and is circulated through the building. In the summer, the liquid moves heat from the building into the ground. In the winter, it provides pre-warmed air and water to the heating system of the building. This only takes 1 kWh of energy to create nearly 12,000 BTU, which makes this system twice as efficient as top rated air conditioners and almost 50% more efficient than gas furnaces.

Geothermal in Louisiana
Louisiana is one of only 14 states that is developing geothermal projects. Currently, Louisiana is developing a GHCP and a GGR plant. The GHCP will use water from a natural gas plant to produce 50 kWh of energy. The GGR plant will be located in Lake Sweet by Cameron Parish and will produce enough energy to power 2,000 to 5,000 homes.
Louisiana has installed the largest system of GHP’s in Fort Polk. Since installation in 1996, it has produced a 26 million kWh energy savings and consequently an estimated reduction of over 22,000 tons of CO2 per year. The cost savings to the Army has been 345,000 per year for the 20-year contract term and 2 million every year after the contract.

Future of Geothermal in Louisiana
Louisiana has a great potential to do more in the area of geothermal because the gulf coast has one of the hottest surface temperatures in the country and the state has many naturally occurring aquifers and brines. A mandatory RPS would push this technology even further.