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Geothermal heating and power an option for Montana

Geothermal heating and power an option for Montana Flat Head Lake in Montana, USA.
Francisco Rojas 16 Jun 2014

Despite Montana´s cheap and available gas and oil, geothermal has the potential to be an excellent renewable energy source and heating alternative.

In a very interesting news piece from the Great Falls Tribune, a question is raised for Montana. In current times, Montana is seeing a boom on cheap oil and gas prices, that tend to discourage other energy sources.

One must not only think of the cheapest option, but also on the greener alternatives. Enrique Cooper, a chilean consultant that visited the aforementioned state was interviewed by the Tribune and detailed that Montana has a significant amoun of geothermal resources available. These resources could be materialised in different forms and sizes, such as large plants thanks to good underground resources. “What Montana really has is what is known as low-entropy geothermal reserves,” Cooper said. “They have mapped 50 spots in the state.” Five to eight of the locations have temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius.

This is not the only option according to Cooper. A viable way is to tap the geothermal potential for district and housing heating. Geothermal energy can become a greater part of the energy picture as “a baseload power clean resource,” Cooper said. He suggests state government consider investing in this area.

To read the full article, follow the link bellow:

Source: The Great Falls Tribune