Direct use of geothermal heat as an energy resource

Direct use

The utilization of geothermal heat as an energy resource, e.g., to heat (or cool) a building such as a greenhouse, for drying, for manufacturing.

Geothermal Glossary

Word of the Week – Drill Cuttings

Word of the Week – Drill Cuttings

Drill Cuttings Small chips of rocks (e.g., <1/8 inch or <3 mm) obtained during drilling with a rotary bit that are continuously returned to the surface by the circulation of mud. Drill cuttings are the main source of geological and stratigraphic interpretation...

Word of the Week – Enhanced Geothermal System

Word of the Week – Enhanced Geothermal System

Enhanced Geothermal System Unconventional geothermal resources that contain heat similar to conventional hydrothermal resources but lack the necessary groundwater and/or rock characteristics (e.g., permeability) to enable energy extraction without stimulation.

Word of the Week – Epidote

Word of the Week – Epidote

Epidote Alumino-silicate hydrothermal mineral having a distinctive yellow-green color that is used a mineral geothermometer, forming at temperatures above ~230°C. The first down hole occurrence of epidote commonly coincides with the top of a high-temperature...

Utah FORGE

Advancing innovative technologies to unlock Earth’s limitless geothermal energy.