A three-year project supported by Google.org, the company’s philanthropic arm, gives a clearer picture of geothermal energy in the United States. In short, there’s a lot of it, especially if enhanced geothermal systems or other advanced technologies are used.
The study conducted by SMU Geothermal Laboratory incorporated tens of thousands of new thermal data points to create the most data rich perspective on U.S. geothermal resources to date, according to a Google.org’s blog. The study aimed to measure the potential of enhanced geothermal systems (ESG) in the continental United States.
The project estimates that “technical potential” for the continental U.S. exceeds 2,980,295 megawatts using EGS and other advanced geothermal technologies such as low temperature hydrothermal, according to Google.org. To put that into perspective, currently there is 9,000 MW of traditional geothermal generating capacity installed in 24 countries around the world. The United States, the world’s largest geothermal energy producer, has about 2,800 MW of installed capacity, which generates enough electricity to power roughly 2.8 million homes.
For the full results, check out the updated Google Earth layer. The new map shows EGS potential for depths from 3 kilometers to 6.5 kilometers and excludes inaccessible zones including national parks and protected lands.