In a demonstration of new technology, 24 million gallons of water are scheduled to be pumped into and Oregon volcano in an attempt to boost the prospects of the green energy field.
The plan with EGS (as the process is called) is for the water, in the form of steam, to shoot back up to the ground with enough speed and pressure to generate clean electricity without disturbing the geology of the area and earning the ire of nearby residents.
Renewable sources of energy have been throttled by the abundance of affordable natural gas, lower market energy demands, and lower concern by politicians about global warming. geothermal energy harvesting efforts have also been thwarted by concerns about the process’ impact on the area surrounding potential injection points, with residents fearing that disturbing area geology could come back and bite municipalities in the event of an earthquake or volcanic eruption.
Nevertheless, Google has joined with other investors to lay nearly $50 million on the line. Seattle-based AltaRock Energy, Inc. and Davenport Newberry Holdings LLC of Stamford, CT, are trying to see if Oregon’s Newberry Volcano, outside of the town of Bend, will prove that the idea is viable.
Humans have taken advantages of the deep, intense, sustained heat that the earth releases for thousands of years. AltaRock’s method of energy extraction, called hydroshearing, is a departure, however, from traditional methods. It involves drilling into hot, dry rock and inject water at points along the way, shocking the rock and creating fissures (the company claims it’s only amplifying existing cracks).
Should the EGS process become more financially viable (it is difficult to create a commercially viable plant), there will still be the matter of convincing localities that their process won’t put communities at greater risk of earthquakes. There are currently EGS installations in geothermal fields in California, Nevada, and Idaho. With $21.5 million in Department of Energy funds spent on the project, the hope is that the results will be a viable way to ease our dependence on foreign energy.
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