Geothermal energy is derived from the Earth's heat. In some areas, including substantial portions of many western states, there are relatively accessible geothermal resources. It is estimated that the thermal energy in the upper six miles of the earth’s crust amounts to 50,000 times more energy than all the gas and oil resources in the world. Today, these resources provide significant electricity, industrial heat, urban district heating, and other energy services. In the immediate future, could they be an answer to the West's energy crisis?

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute sponsored a Congressional briefing to discuss this question. The panel, which featured experts in the major areas of geothermal energy use and production, included:

• John Lund, Ph.D., Director, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls. The Geo-Heat Center is the leading national center for promoting the direct uses of geothermal energy in industry, homes, and schools throughout the United States.



• Gordon Bloomquist, Ph.D., Director, Energy Program, Washington State University. Dr. Bloomquist has been actively involved with both district heating and geothermal energy for over twenty years. Dr. Bloomquist focused on the use of geothermal energy in district energy systems today, and their potential for the future.



• Karl Gawell, Washington Representative, Geothermal Energy Association. Mr. Gawell represents the geothermal energy industry in Washington, D.C. and companies that provide significant portions of electricity used today in California, Utah, Nevada and Hawaii. Mr. Gawell discussed the potential for geothermal energy to help address the electricity crisis in the West.



• Kai Anderson, Legislative Assistant, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). Senator Harry Reid has been an outspoken advocate of increasing renewable energy use, particularly geothermal energy. He recently introduced legislation, S. 249, which would development thousands of new megawatts of new renewable energy capacity in the West. Mr. Anderson discussed the policy options available to develop renewable energy capacity, and the legislation recently introduced.

The geothermal industry is a $1.5 billion a year enterprise. Geothermal energy resources are present in all of the states west of the Mississippi, and several states in the East. It is used to produce electricity, for commercial and industrial heat, and for health spas. The uses to which these resources are applied are also influenced by temperature. The highest temperature resources are generally used only for electric power generation. Current U.S. geothermal electric power generation totals approximately 2,800 MW or about the same as four large nuclear power plants. Uses for low and moderate temperature resources are either electricity production using binary cycle powerplants or in "direct uses."

Direct use, as the name implies, utilizes hot water from geothermal resources directly for heating buildings, industrial processes, greenhouses, aquaculture (growing of fish), and resorts. The installed energy capacity of direct-use applications in the United States is close to 566 thermal megawatts, the equivalent of saving 4 million barrels of oil for electricity production. A significant direct use of geothermal energy is district heating. The city of Boise Idaho has employed a geothermal district heating system for roughly 100 years! Klamath Falls, Oregon, recently won a national award recognizing the energy and environmental excellence of its district heating system.