LinkNotes: geothermal

2008-08-21

Google's Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

As a part of its commitment to a clean energy future Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, recently announced a substantial investment in a new alternative energy technology called Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS).

News

Clipped from: Looking For Energy, Google Goes To Hell - Forbes.com

Geothermal Power
Looking For Energy, Google Goes To Hell

[...] on Tuesday, Google.org, the philanthropic arm of search giant Google [...], announced it would try to help spur companies to reach underground to produce clean electricity. It is investing a total of $10 million in a geothermal energy company called AltaRock Energy and a drilling company called Potter Drilling, and it is funding research and mapping efforts and a policy agenda.

It is part of Google.org's effort to help bring about renewable energy that is cheaper than coal by investing in companies, research and policy development. The organization is focusing on three main technologies: solar thermal power, which uses the sun's heat to generate electricity; advanced wind technology; and, now, a way of tapping geothermal energy called enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS.

An animation of the EGS system

Clipped from: YouTube - SketchUp Model - Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

Info from Google Org

Clipped from: Google.org
A Googol of Heat Beneath Our Feet

The energy from the heat beneath the earth's surface is essentially an unlimited resource. What if it could be developed to help solve our energy challenges and fight global warming? Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS, attempts to do just that. EGS produces heat and electricity by harnessing the energy from hot rock deep below the earth's surface, expanding the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. EGS is a big challenge, but with the potential to power the world many times over, it demands our immediate attention. At Google we've launched an effort to advance EGS through R&D, investment, policy and information.

U.S. Geothermal Resource (3-10km depth)
Open in Google Earth (672 KB - last updated: 8/19/08)
Learn about the great potential for EGS with this video from google.org

2008-05-29

Google considers investment in Geothermal Energy

Google is in discussions with Israeli geothermal company Ormat Technologies about a possible investment in so called enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). The EGS concept is to extract heat by creating a subsurface fracture system to which water can be added through injection wells.

clipped from alfin2100.blogspot.com

Hot Rocks Geothermal: Google Looks to Invest

clipped from news.cnet.com

Executives at Google have been clear that so-called enhanced geothermal is on the list of technologies they see as cost effective, compared with fossil fuel energy.

The idea behind enhanced, or engineered, geothermal systems is to inject water underground to enhance the permeability of rock, allowing for the release and capture of more heat.

clipped from www.ormat.com

Geothermal Power » What is Geothermal?

The Advantages of Geothermal Energy are Enormous:

harnesses a natural locally available energy source
provides an environmentally friendly energy alternative avoiding fossil fuel combustion
produces no nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions and significantly lower levels of CO₂ than conventional fossil fuels
baseload electricity 24/7 year-round supply with high reliability
as a local energy source, provides security of energy supply and price, reducing need for importation of fuel

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