Technology Assessment Model of Developing Geothermal Energy Resources for Supporting Electrical System: The Case for Oregon

摘要

The demand for energy is increasing worldwide. All applications contributed to increase the demand of all energy industry, and therefore the effect on the environment and the rise in pollution increased significantly. This is considered a large problem, and researchers focused their research on renewable energy for reducing the cost of energy in the future. Geothermal energy has significant impact as a source of electricity generation since it will not harm the environment. There are more than twenty countries that benefit from geothermal plants, which generate more than 6000 megawatts .Three alternatives of geothermal energy technology (GHP, Direct use of Geothermal Heat, and Geothermal Electricity) can be used for supporting electrical systems in Oregon. At the same time, the success of using the geothermal energy alternatives in Oregon relies on different goals for achieving the best geothermal development. Oregon has been ranked third in the potential use of geothermal energy after Nevada and California.The objective from the research study was to develop an assessment model framework that can be used for supporting cost effective renewable energy in Oregon by the development of geothermal energy sources. This research of study was done by using the Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM) and consisted of four levels: Mission, objectives, goals, and alternative. Criteria used in this research study are based on five objectives to know what are the most important factors in the decision-making process. These objectives are: social, environmental, economical, technical, and political. The decision model connected objectives, goals, and alternative for obtaining the accurate decision. HDM used for this purpose to analyze the result of data collected from experts. Seven experts who had experience in the geothermal field participated in this research study, and they gave their judgment in the questionnaire survey link by using pair-wise comparison method.The outcome analysis of the results showed that in terms of objectives that Minimizing Environmental Impact was rated at the highest value at 0.26 with respect to the mission. Within the category of Minimizing Environmental Impact, Seismic Activity and GHG Emissions had higher values. The results show that u22Geothermal Electricity,u22 with a rating of 43%, was ranked as the most important alternative with respect to mission, objectives, and goals. u22Direct Use of Geothermal Heatu22 was ranked as the second most important alternative with 31%. The results of this research study were discussed with the experts to get their feedback, and learn from them what requirements are necessary for improvement in the geotechnical energy sector for future research. The experts agreed that this methodology is a good approach to help reach the right decision since this methodology (HDM) divides the problem into small sets, which will make the decision process easier.