Enhanced Geothermal: A Game Changer for Renewable Energy
Robert Rapier is a chemical engineer in the energy industry. He has 25 years of international engineering experience in the chemical, oil and gas, and…
Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS, are quietly transforming how we think about renewable energy, turning one of the Earth’s most underutilized resources—its internal heat—into a reliable and sustainable power source. The DOE Department of Energy (DOE) has estimated that there is approximately 100,000 megawatts of clean, baseload power possible through EGS technology in the United States
The beauty of this technology, which extracts thermal energy from deep beneath the surface, is that it is widely applicable, and may be of particular interest in regions where wind and solar face limitations.
EGS operates by drilling deep into the Earth’s crust to access hot, dry rock formations. By injecting water into these formations and creating fractures, a closed-loop system is established. The water circulates through the hot rock, absorbing thermal energy and transforming into steam. This steam is brought to the surface to drive turbines, generating electricity. The cooled fluid is reinjected underground, minimizing environmental impact and sustaining the process.
