New Google map reveals potential of geothermal energy

Talking Points Memo : Tuesday Google published a new Google Earth map of the geothermal resources in the continental US. In keeping with the drive to make the US more energy efficient and energy independent, Google reports that the technical potential of geothermal in the US is nearly 3 million megawatts, or 10 times the capacity of all the installed coal power plants in the country today, writes Carl Franzen for TPM’s Idea Lab. “Our study assumes that we tap only a small fraction of the available stored heat in the Earth’s crust, and our capabilities to capture that heat are expected to grow substantially as we improve upon the energy conversion and exploitation factors through technological advances and improved techniques,” said David Blackwell of Southern Methodist University, whose geothermal laboratory collected the data for the new map. However, a viable geothermal demonstration project is estimated to be 10–15 years away.