Video introducing EGS research of the Snake River Geothermal Consortium

Screenshot of INL video on FORGE (source: YouTube)

Alexander Richter 11 Jan 2016

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) posted a great video introducing FORGE: Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy and its Engineered/ Enhanced Geothermal Systems research test site in the state of Idaho.

The video features Rob Podgorney (INL FORGE lead), Travis McLing (INL), and Tom Wood (University of Idaho) discussing the FORGE project and why the Idaho National Laboratory site is an ideal location for an enhanced geothermal systems laboratory.

You can see the video at YouTube, or in the embedded video below. Via Twitter and the hashtag #SnakeRiverFORGE you can also find more posts on the project. There is also a great feature story available.

Background on the Snake River Geothermal Consortium

Website: http://snakerivergeothermal.org/

Idaho National Laboratory is leading the team vying to host and operate an enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) field laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy. The Snake River Geothermal Consortium (SRGC) was one of five teams selected in April 2015 by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to participate in the first phase of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) initiative.

The SRGC FORGE team includes members from national laboratories, universities, industry, and federal agencies. An Advisory Panel has also been established to help guide the efforts; it includes representatives from government, regulatory agencies, industry, environmental NGOs, and others.

Why Idaho and the Snake River Plain?

The Snake River Plain, which encompasses much of southeastern Idaho, is located along the Yellowstone Hot Spot, an area renowned for its high underground heat. This area has some of the highest recorded heat flow and subsurface tempteratures in the U.S. It was identified in a MIT report, “The Future of Geothermal Energy”, as one of the top sites for EGS in the United States.

Technical Team Members

• Idaho National Laboratory (leads the team)
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Center for Advanced Energy Studies
  • University of Idaho
  • Idaho State University
  • Boise State University
  • University of Wyoming
• University of Oklahoma
• Energy and Geoscience Institute-University of Utah
• Mink GeoHydro
• Geothermal Resources Group
• US Geothermal
• Baker Hughes
• Campbell Scientific Inc.
• Chena Power
• US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Idaho Department of Water Resources
• Idaho Geological Survey

Advisory Panel

• Idaho Office of Energy Resources
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
• Idaho Conservation League
• Idaho Department of Water Resources
• US Geothermal
• POWER Engineers
• Southern Methodist University
• Iceland Geosurvey
• Holland Consulting
• PacifiCorp Energy