The promise of Enhanced Geothermal Systems, known as EGS, is great. Below our feet, pretty much everywhere on earth, is a ubiquitous source of heat trapped in rocks. Some estimates put the energy potential from these hot rocks at hundreds of thousands of MW. But estimating the resource is one thing. Actually harnessing it is a lot more difficult. Traditional geothermal plants, which use hot water hundreds or thousands of feet beneath the earth, is, in comparison, much easier to develop. EGS requires special drilling and fracturing techniques to access the hot rock miles underground. In this week’s show, taped at the Geothermal Conference and Expo in Sacramento, California, we’ve got a roundtable discussion on the prospects and challenges for EGS. We’ll talk to Charles Baron from Google.org, JoAnn Milliken from the Department of Energy and Will Osborn of AltaRock. Inside Renewable Energy is a weekly audio news program featuring stories and interviews on all the latest developments in the renewable energy industries. Listen to the Podcast
