Low-Temperature Geothermal Geospatial Datasets: An Example from Alaska

This project is a component of a broader effort focused on geothermal heating and cooling (GHC) with the aim of illustrating the numerous benefits of incorporating GHC and geothermal heat exchange (GHX) into community energy planning and national decarbonization strategies. To better assist private sector investment, it is currently necessary to define and assess the potential of low-temperature geothermal resources. For shallow GHC/GHX fields, there is no formal compilation of subsurface characteristics shared among industry practitioners that can improve system design and operations. Alaska is specifically noted in this work, because heretofore, it has not received a similar focus in geothermal potential evaluations as the contiguous United States. The methodology consists of leveraging relevant data to generate a baseline geospatial dataset of low-temperature resources (less than 150 degrees C) to compare and analyze information accessible to anyone trying to understand the potential of GHC/GHX and small-scale low-temperature geothermal power in Alaska (e.g., energy modelers, communities, planners, and policymakers). Importantly, this project identifies data related to (1) the evaluation of GHC/GHX in the shallow subsurface, and (2) the evaluation of low-temperature geothermal resource availability. Additionally, data is being compiled to assess repurposing of oil and gas wells to contribute co-produced fluids toward the geothermal direct use and heating and cooling resource potential. In this work we identified new data from three different datasets of isolated geothermal systems in Alaska and bottom-hole temperature data from oil and gas wells that can be leveraged for evaluation of low-temperature geothermal resource potential. The goal of this project is to facilitate future deployment of GHC/GHX analysis and community-led programs and update the low-temperature geothermal resources assessment of Alaska. A better understanding of shallow potential for GHX will improve design and operations of highly efficient GHC systems. The deployment and impact that can be achieved for low-temperature geothermal resources will contribute to decarbonization goals and facilitate widespread electrification by shaving and shifting grid loads.

本项研究是针对地热加热与冷却（GHC）领域的一项广泛努力的一部分，旨在阐述将GHC和地热热交换（GHX）融入社区能源规划和国家去碳化战略中的诸多益处。为更好地促进私营部门的投资，目前有必要定义并评估低温地热资源的潜力。对于浅层GHC/GHX场地，尚无行业内实践者共享的、旨在优化系统设计和运行的地下特性正式汇编。阿拉斯加在此研究中被特别指出，因其迄今为止尚未像美国本土一样在地质热潜力评估方面受到类似的关注。研究方法包括利用相关数据生成低温资源（低于150摄氏度）的基础地理空间数据集，以比较和分析试图了解GHC/GHX以及阿拉斯加小型低温地热发电潜力（例如，能源模型师、社区、规划者和政策制定者）可获取的信息。重要的是，本项目识别了与以下方面相关的数据：（1）浅层地下GHC/GHX的评估；（2）低温地热资源可用性的评估。此外，正在汇编数据以评估将油气井改用于向地热直接利用和冷暖资源潜力提供共生流体。在本研究中，我们识别了来自阿拉斯加孤立地热系统三个不同数据集的新数据，以及来自油气井的井底温度数据，这些数据可用于评估低温地热资源潜力。本项目的目标是促进GHC/GHX分析和社区主导计划的未来部署，并更新阿拉斯加低温地热资源评估。对浅层GHX潜力的更深入理解将改善高效GHC系统的设计和运行。低温地热资源的部署和影响将有助于实现去碳化目标，并促进广泛的电气化，通过削减和转移电网负荷来实现。