The Hill
Summary
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has introduced a sharp reversal of American energy policy, promising a “180-degree pivot” away from efforts to combat climate change and advocating for an expansion of oil and gas production.
Although the secretary’s stance is a far cry from the renewable energy-growth policies of the last administration, it is not necessarily opposed to low-carbon energy. Earlier this month, Wright touted the promise of geothermal energy, noting that “while it hasn’t achieved liftoff yet, it should and it can.”
Cornell University is demonstrating what’s possible. Its Earth Source Heat project is showing how deep, direct-use geothermal energy can work in the Northeast. In summer 2022, the university drilled a nearly two-mile deep borehole with the expertise of SLB, a company that had built its legacy in fossil fuels.
The borehole is providing invaluable data on temperature, permeability, and rock characteristics deep beneath Cornell’s campus — insights that will determine the feasibility of warming university buildings with geothermal heat. If a full-scale enhanced geothermal system is successful, it could serve as a model for broader adoption across the region.
But workforce transition will not happen automatically. In New York and Pennsylvania alone, more than 37,000 skilled fossil fuel workers possess much of the knowledge and skills needed to develop geothermal energy. With targeted support, they could drive the shift to an always-on, emissions-free heat source.
Continue Reading
#News#MemberNewsIDEA#GeothermalandGeo-Exchange#DistrictEnergy#CornellUniversity