Brady Hot Springs – A Geothermal Success Storyby Kathy Chambers 09 Sep, 2016 in  Fumaroles at Brady Hot Springs, Nevada. Image credit: DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Photo by Dante Fratta In the 1800s, the Brady Hot Springs geothermal fields were known as the “Springs of False Hope.”  As pioneer wagon trains traveled across the northern Nevada desert on their way to California, their thirsty animals rushed to the springs only to find scalding 180° water and bare land. Additionally, the water was loaded with sodium chloride and boric acid. These geothermal fields were not a welcoming place, but that changed over time; Brady Hot Springs could now be called the “Springs of Hope.” In recent years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has funded a wide array of geothermal research projects at the Brady Hot Springs site.  One, an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) project, was the first EGS project to be connected to the grid and resulted in a 38 percent increase in power output from brine at Ormat’s Desert Peak 2 geothermal power plant in the Brady complex, according to Ormat Technologies, a leading geothermal company and one of DOE’s primary collaborators in the project.  GTO’s Brady Hot Springs projects research results are available in the SciTech Connect database. Today, the Brady Hot Springs make up a... Related Topics: Brady Hot Springs, geothermal Read more... |
A Roadmap to Geothermal Heat Pump Feasibilityby Kathy Chambers 28 Feb, 2013 in Technology
Planning a trip is exciting. I can’t tell you how long my family planned our trip out west. For so many years we wanted to do this. When we finally hit the road our adventure was more than we could have possibly imagined.  The landscape was always changing, always beautiful. Cattle ranches stretched out to infinity. Mountain peaks formed by ancient volcanos lined up in rows, one after another. Rivers of black jagged lava flowed over the landscape. We came across rainbow colors of the painted desert, a petrified forest of long ago, and the jaw-dropping expanse of the Grand Canyon. A winding road down from Flagstaff led us into the red cliffs of Sedona and on the cacti-spotted landscape of the Sonoran desert. The further we went, the more we appreciated vast mother earth. Our earth has an immense reservoir of geothermal energy that has helped to create this amazing landscape. Geothermal energy is the heat contained within the earth—a clean, reliable, and renewable energy. Department of Energy (DOE) researchers have made great progress harnessing this energy to make our lives better. It can be used as an energy-efficient heating and cooling alternative and can generate vast electric power across the United States. (Read more about DOE’s Geothermal Program and find geothermal energy research results in the Energy Citations Database.) The Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) is one of DOE’s high-impact technologies that are currently being researched by the Building... Related Topics: Building Technologies Program, EERE, energy consumption, geothermal, heat pumps, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, renewable energy
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DOE’s Solar Decathlon – Building the Futureby Kate Bannan 26 Sep, 2011 in Science Communications
The Solar Decathlon is being held September 23–October 2, 2011, at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, DC. The event is free and open to the public. Related Topics: biomass, collegiate, decathlon, DOE Green Energy, energy, geothermal, green, hydro, power, solar, synthetic fuels, wave, wind Read more... |
Join OSTI for Earth Weekby Kate Bannan 15 Apr, 2011 in Science Communications
Forrestal: April 18-22 Germantown: April 25-29 The U.S. Department of Energy will be celebrating Earth Week April 18-22 in the Forrestal Building and April 25-29 in Germantown. Many of the program offices, including the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) will have displays, plus there will be activities such as environmental films, green bag lunches, speakers, nature walks and talks, tree plantings, Bring Sons and Daughters to Work Day activities, farmers marketand community days. The Earth Week activities are sure to be fun, and to see how the Department is “Changing Behavior to Reduce DOE’s Carbon Footprint.” While you are enjoying the Earth Week displays and activities, be sure to stop by and see OSTI where we will feature DOE Green Energy, your portal to green energy information from thousands of DOE-sponsored research and development projects. DOE Green Energy provides free access to over 30,000 full text technical reports and over 2,000 patents.  You can read about some of the latest research in advanced vehicle technologies with these highlighted reports from DOE Green Energy: Clean Cities 2011 Vehicle Buyer's Guide; Natural gas vehicles: Status, barriers, and opportunities; NREL Showcases Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Bus;... Related Topics: bioenergy, DOE Green Energy, Earth, geothermal, green energy Read more... |
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