The Department of Energy in the US is on its way to use the discarded geothermal resource produced during the extraction of oil to power equipment at the site. The DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Program at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will join forces with Office of Fossil Energy in order to create low temperature geothermal power from waste drilling fluids using a waste heat geothermal unit. The EERE, a renewable energy division of Steven Chu’s new DOE, is purchasing the waste heat geothermal unit from Ormat Technologies to perform the demonstration.
The electricity produced by the waste heat geothermal unit will be brought into use for powering field production equipment, hence terminating the need of purchasing electricity. The procedure of extracting each barrel of oil will require less fossil energy, thereby cutting down on the pollution costs associated with the conventional oil industry under new legislation pending. This green initiative by DOE will transform an inevitable byproduct of the oil industry into a new energy resource that is renewable to an extent. Although it is not a natural source but it produces no new carbon emissions.
The co-produced fluids from oilfield operation will be used at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center, which will provide an opportunity for the Fossil Energy Dept at the DOE to contribute to emerging energy fields. DOE hopes to get some incentive under the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act. The Act if passed will provide incentives to reduce carbon pollution.
Via: CleanTechnica
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