News and analysis on materials solutions to energy challenges
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EDITORIAL
Geothermal energy: Chance and challenge ENERGY SECTOR ANALYSIS
Ceramics improve operating conditions of solid-oxide fuel cells REGIONAL INITIATIVE
Research aims for cleaner crude from Canadian tar sands
ENERGY QUARTERLY ORGANIZERS CHAIR M. Stanley Whittingham, State University of New York at Binghamton, USA Anshu Bharadwaj, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, India David Cahen, Weizmann Institute, Israel Russell R. Chianelli, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA George Crabtree, Argonne National Laboratory, USA Sabrina Sartori, University of Oslo, Norway Anke Weidenkaff, University of Stuttgart, Germany Steve M. Yalisove, University of Michigan, USA
MATERIALS FOR ENERGY BLOG
www.materialsforenergy.org Hosted by the MRS University Chapter of The University of Texas at Austin
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Geothermal energy: Chance and challenge Increasing demand for base-load energy from renewable sources and ambitious climate protection goals have created major interest in the potential of deep geothermal energy, which is transitioning from a niche technology to a key element in the future energy mix. Today, about 11 GW electricity and 50 GW heat from geothermal reservoirs are obtained worldwide, and there is much potential for improvement. Exploration, development, and productivity enhancement are needed to make geothermal energy utilization feasible in a safe and responsible manner. For the control and mitigation of environmentally adverse effects, detailed knowledge of stress, rock permeability, and chemical composition of deep fluids is crucial. Mitigation of induced seismicity is important, including far-field stress transfer, leakage of deep reservoir fluids to groundwater, and emission of fluids and gases to the environment. Most technologies require at least two wells: A production well to recover water with an appropriate temperature, and an injection well to return the water into the ground. Borehole integrity without leakage and reservoir treatment without generating induced seismicity are key for environmentally safe installation. The critical parameter is permeability of the rocks in the geothermal reservoir, which affects heat and mass transfer. Most hydrothermal and petrothermal geothermal systems can be developed by so-called “Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS)” technologies to guarantee economic feasibility and system stability. These specific technologies represent the sum of the engineering measures required to optimize the exploitation of low permeability reservoirs; technologies adapted to highly saline waters are also in demand. Basic research on corrosion processes and materials properties is needed to develop preventative methods of corrosion protection for plant components such a
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