Contact: Morgan Heim, 303-492-6289
November 4, 2009
ESOC included in $338 million U.S. Department of Energy effort to expand domestic geothermal energy resources
A grant totaling nearly $5 million has been awarded to a collaborative group from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and three energy companies to identify and locate active geothermal sites in Colorado.
Khalid Hussein, of the Earth Science and Observation Center (ESOC), and Waleed Abdalati, the center's director, in cooperation with energy companies Flint Geothermal, Geothermal Development Associates, and Aspen Drilling, will be using the center's remote sensing techniques and the data they acquire to identify five commercially viable geothermal sites, ultimately tapping the super-heated water from the Earth's interior to generate alternative power.
“The United States is blessed with vast geothermal energy resources, which hold enormous potential to heat our homes and power our economy,” United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said in announcing the $338 million in funding to accelerate domestic geothermal energy. “These investments in America's technological innovation will allow us to capture more of this clean, carbon free energy at a lower cost than ever before. We will create thousands of jobs, boost our economy and help to jumpstart the geothermal industry across the United States," Chu said.
The first phase of the CIRES teams' project is set to begin in January. The grant requires the developed sites to generate a minimum of 10 megawatts of power, or enough to power about 30,000 homes.
Read more about the project from the Department of Energy
