Application of Oil and Gas Methodology to Geothermal Formation Evaluation: The Value of Data

摘要

The energy landscape is transitioning to a low carbon future through energy efficiency and green energy sources. Within the European Union, a target of 20% has been set of energy needs to be met by renewable sources in 2020, increasing to 27% by 2030. Several countries have already set targets much in excess of these. Therefore the race is on to meet these targets whilst still meeting the countries energy needs. As part of this transition, renewable sources of energy are becoming more prominent in the energy needs of each country. Geothermal energy is an important part of the energy mix as it can supply a wide range of energy needs, ranging from low temperature heating, through mid-temperature industrial uses, to high temperature power generation. Additionally, compared to sources such as wind and solar which are dependent on the wind blowing or sun shining, it has essentially no variability so can be relied on to provide a dependable source of energy. To make geothermal profitable detailed knowledge of the subsurface is crucial. Many of the key formation properties for prospect evaluation are the same as those desired in hydrocarbon exploration. However, the geothermal industry in Europe is in its infancy and many projects still disappoint in their energy production. The oil and gas industry has considerable expertise and knowledge in evaluation of the subsurface. However, traditionally geothermal and oil and gas operators work in very different spheres, hence there has been very little knowledge sharing between the two industries. As the importance of geothermal energy grows there is considerable opportunity for expertise sharing and transfer of best practices and experience between oil and gas and geothermal. In this paper, we discuss the key similarities and differences between oil and gas and geothermal prospects. And we describe how oil and gas formation evaluation techniques can be applied to geothermal prospects to optimally utilize geothermal resources.