The Santa Cruz Community Calendar
Santa Cruz County, California
The Santa Cruz Community Calendar
Santa Cruz County, California
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Opening: 6:00 PM
Main Event: 6:00 PM
Geothermal Energy Research Within the USGS:
Goldilocks to Electricity With Earthquakes in Between
by Ole Kaven, Research Geophysicist, USGS Earthquake Science Center
Geologic settings required for a viable geothermal resource depend on a variety of specific conditions to be present and active, hence goldilocks.
Geothermal energy has a big role to play in the move to renewable energy, possibly supplying as much as 8% of U.S. electrical needs by 2050.
New technology that expands the settings in which geothermal energy can be extracted have made huge advances and might add significantly to renewable energy resources in the future.
Earthquakes have been both a benefit in identifying the fluid and heat pathways in geothermal settings and a deterrent by inducing harmful earthquakes that impact public safety nearby.
USGS Virtual Public Lecture website: www.usgs.gov/pls