JPT
Summary
Until relatively recently, harnessing geothermal energy in the US to meet power production and heating needs has been largely restricted to the western states.
The first geothermal production wells in this country were drilled in The Geysers, California, and much of the development since that time has similarly taken place in the west. As of 2021, the states of California and Nevada (combined) accounted for 85% of the country’s geothermal power plants and 93% of the installed capacity, with no geothermal plants being located any further east than New Mexico.
The reason for this is that exploiting geothermal energy in the conventional manner requires a very specific setting. Heat, fluid, and rock permeability must all be in abundance to utilize the Earth’s thermal energy. The western states’ geologic setting to the Pacific Ring of Fire results in several such locations.
However, advances in technology are opening opportunities in other parts of the country as well. Technological developments impacting geothermal include enhanced/engineered geothermal systems (EGS), closed-loop or advanced geothermal systems (AGS), and thermal energy networks (TENs).
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