Portland State University has received a grant from the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) to study the feasibility of bringing new
methods of harnessing the power of geothermal energy to previously
untapped regions of the United States such as Portland.
PSU was one of six universities throughout the U.S. to receive a
collective $4 million in grants from the DOE. Portland's share is
$720,000, and will be split between PSU and local partners including the
U.S. Geological Survey, City of Portland, AltaRock Energy, and OHSU.
The money will be used to research a new kind of geothermal technology called Deep Direct-Use.
Unlike traditional geothermal power, which relies on natural
sources of subterranean hot water such as hot springs and volcanoes,
Deep Direct-Use passively heats water above ground during the warm
months, stores it underground and then uses the stored heat in the
winter. The study will analyze Portland's underlying geology to see if
it has enough insulating ability and storage capacity to make that
happen. Read more....
