Stepping Up to the Plate: DOE adds $15 million to promote GT heat recovery techniques
The seal of the U.S. Department of Energy
DOE’s objective through this funding is to promote the advancement and commercialization in of technologies for heat recovery that will improve three areas: lowering environmental, technical, and financial risks than currently available methods.
According to the funding announcement, projects must first address environmental risk factors associated with recovery of heat from the subsurface. Environmental risks may include, but are not limited to, the impacts of induced seismicity, effects on groundwater and local hydrology, and consumption (and potential contamination) of potable/fresh water.
More specifically, the DOE would like to reduce or avoid risk associated with induced seismicity; reduction or avoid the use of potable/fresh water at all while producing power; and/or avoid the contamination of potable/fresh water sources.
Second, the DOE is looking for projects that will add innovative methods for extracting heat from geologic formations lacking hydrocarbons to GTP’s technology portfolio. The DOE is looking for innovation in subsurface heat recovery methods and other aspects the total system design, such as power conversion technologies. Proposed innovative heat extraction methods combined with innovative non-subsurface technology will be considered for funding.
Finally, projects should aim to reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for new methods of geothermal energy production to $0.10 kWh to $0.06 kWh. The DOE wants to reduce the financial risks associated with geothermal energy developmen by leveraging existing surface or subsurface development knowledge, equipment, facilities, tools and techniques; addressing environmental risks that have associated financial risks, and/or, developing inherently low cost heat recovery methods.
The announcement adds that the opportunity seeks applicants to expand geothermal power generation into geologically diverse environments, such as permeable sedimentary formations, a widespread geologic resource of which a number of reservoirs are located in regions with high electricity prices. Naturally permeable rock formations not only reduce the need to increase permeability artificially, but also minimize the risk of rapid drawdown of the reservoir’s heat to allow for sustained heat recovery.
It adds that cooperation and innovative partnerships among geothermal, mining, carbon sequestration, oil and gas industries, small businesses, national laboratories, and academic institutions are highly encouraged.
A year ago the DOE put out twenty times the money it announced this past week, so it is difficult to imagine how $15 million will address these lofty goals. The funding is also supposed to cover two phases. Phase I will encompass feasibility studies of the applicant’s proposed heat recovery method including numerical analysis of the proposed reservoir, economic modeling, and unproven component technology engineering and validation plans. Phase II will be the validation and proof of concept of unproven component technology.
You can see the complete Funding Opportunity Announcement on the FedConnect Web site. An initial, pre-application concept paper is required to be eligible for submission of a full application. Pre-application concept papers will receive feedback from DOE regarding the responsiveness of the concept to the objectives of the FOA. The pre-application concept papers are due October 1, 2010 and eligible full applications will be due November 30, 2010.
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