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Can New Utah Hotspot Give Geothermal A Lift? (EarthTechling)

Researcher gathering temperature

gradient data (Courtesy Utah
Geological Survey)

A newly discovered deep geothermal hotspot in Utah is generating excitement – but whether it ever generates much electricity is another matter entirely.

Utility-scale geothermal has grown in recent years in the United States, but not nearly as fast as other renewable sources, like wind and solar. A U.S. Energy Information Agency report in November 2011 found that over the previous three years, wind power production increased 121 percent and solar grew 111 percent. Geothermal’s 10 percent gain paled in comparison.

There’s an irony to this relative failure of geothermal: Unlike solar and wind, it can provide steady baseload power that can be easily integrated into the grid without some of the same challenges that come with intermittent sources like solar and wind.

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