Geothermal Energy Potential for District and Process Heating Applications in the U.S. -An Economic Analysis

摘要

Geothermal energy is competitive for space and process heating applications over significant distances when employed on a large scale to serve concentrated markets. Under these conditions geothermal energy from 90°C to 150°C hydrothermal resources should be economically competitive for high-density urban district heating out to distances of 50 miles from the wellhead. From these same resources geothermal energy should be competitive for district heating in low-density urban and suburban areas out to 50 miles from most resources when alternative residential heating costs exceed $8/GJ. Resources in the 130°C to 150°C range should be competitive for process heating out to 30 miles from the wellhead.nSupply curves (price-quantity relationships) were developed for both process heating and district heating applications for distances out to 50 miles. The 90°C to 150°C hydrothermal resources, which were identified in the assessment of geothermal resources by the U.S. Geological Survey, contain usable energy for space and process heat equivalent to 50 billion barrels of oil. The potential demand for space and process heat near these hydrothermal resources is large;over 10% of the U.S. population resides within 40 miles of the resources.