The fact that it is more practical to tap into geothermal energy in some places than others led to a joint study between Cornell University, Southern Methodist University and West Virginia University with support from the United States Department of Energy.
“If all locations have some degree of potential, but achieving the potential to extract energy will be much easier (including lower cost) in some places than others,” Cornell Prof. Teresa Eileen Jordan and GRC Member said, “then the DOE wanted to have guidance on where to invest its time and energy to conduct research and assist with development.”
The study points out the places in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia which are more economically and geologically suited to benefit from geothermal energy. These regions are shown in the map.
The study assumed that the end-use of this energy would be district heating systems, in which homes in a community are supplied hot water through a set of interconnected pipes. The large population and high heating demand across New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia would translate into economic advantages and reduced carbon emissions if geothermal heating was to replace heating using fossil fuels.
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Presented yesterday at the Stanford Geothermal Workshop: "Low-Temperature Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis for the Appalachian Basin," Teresa Jordan et al
