DOE Supports Creation of an Enhanced Geothermal System, Desert Peak, NV
February 13, 2008
As part of multiple cooperative agreements, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has formed a multi-disciplinary team with ORMAT Nevada Inc., GeothermEx Inc., the University of Utah , USGS, and the national laboratories to enhance or create an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) at Desert Peak hydrothermal field in Nevada.
Analyses are directed toward developing and executing a hydraulic stimulation program for an in-field, non-productive well of high temperature (>400°F). The team will try to create or enhance the permeability by injecting high pressure water. The objective is to develop a large and complex underground heat exchanger that is capable of supporting an additional 2-5 MWe power generation.
So far, the DOE has invested in excess of $5 million dollars for this effort.
