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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Review of Feasibility and Cost Drivers for Floating Offshore Wind Energy in Washington State

The state of Washington must double its clean electricity supply by 2050 to meet its clean energy goals and comply with the Clean Energy Transformation Act. With more than 6.6 GW of technical resource potential in federal waters where Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has leasing authority, offshore wind energy could play an important role in diversifying Washington State's clean energy mix, reducing dependence on out-of-state energy sources, and helping meet state decarbonization goals. Decision makers need technology-specific information to assist with long-term energy system planning, so the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requested that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory provide an overview of several drivers of offshore wind energy feasibility and cost in Washington. This study summarizes some of the existing engagement efforts and perspectives on offshore wind energy in the region and quantifies the offshore wind resources in Washington as well as technology costs and performance of potential projects. Furthermore, this report reviews existing grid and port infrastructure and discusses infrastructure needs along with information gaps. This study also explores opportunities and barriers to Washington entities supporting the broader floating offshore wind energy supply chain along the U.S. West Coast. Note that this study is not part of a formal project planning process or official engagement effort, nor does it assess environmental or economic impacts from potential offshore wind energy development.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Influence of Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (AgMAR) and Stratigraphic Heterogeneities on Nitrate Reduction in the Deep Subsurface

This data package contains input files for TOUGHREACT for a modeling study examining the effects of managed aquifer recharge on agricultural lands on nitrate cycling and transport in the Central Valley of CA near Modesto. The files contain all the geochemical species, reactions, and hydrological parameters for the model. The files are text files used for the TOUGH family of code created by LBNL. To use the files a license is required. https://tough.lbl.gov/licensing-download/toughreact-licensing-download/Accompanying Paper Abstract: Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (AgMAR) is a proposed management strategy whereby surface water flows are used to intentionally flood croplands with the purpose of recharging underlying aquifers. However, legacy nitrate (NO3-) contamination in agriculturally-intensive regions poses a threat to groundwater resources under AgMAR. To address these concerns, we use a reactive transport modeling framework to better understand the effects of AgMAR management strategies (i.e., by varying the frequency, duration between flooding events, and amount of water) on N leaching to groundwater under different stratigraphic configurations and antecedent moisture conditions. In particular, we examine the potential of denitrification and nitrogen retention in deep vadose zone sediments (~15 m) using variable AgMAR application rates on two-dimensional representations of differently textured soils, soils with discontinuous bands/channels, and soils with preferential flow paths characteristic of typical agricultural field sites. Our results indicate that finer textured sediments, such as silt loams, alone or embedded within high flow regions, are important reducing zones providing conditions needed for denitrification. Simulation results further suggest that applying water all-at-once rather than in increments for a fixed volume of recharge transports higher concentrations of NO3- deeper into the profile, which has the potential to exacerbate groundwater quality. This transport into deeper depths can be aggravated by wetter antecedent soil moisture conditions. However, applying water all-at-once also increases denitrification within the vadose zone by promoting anoxic conditions. We conclude that AgMAR management strategies can be designed to enhance denitrification in the subsurface and reduce N leaching to groundwater, while specifically accounting for lithologic heterogeneity, antecedent soil moisture conditions, and depth to the water table. Our findings are potentially relevant to other systems that experience flooding inundation such as riparian corridors, floodplains, wetlands, and other managed landscapes like dedicated recharge basins.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sea-Ice Effects on the Alaskan Wave Climate

This study investigates the uncertainty of wave resource assessments due to sea ice in the nearshore region of Alaska using an innovative approach of combining remotely sensed data and a third-generation phase-averaged wave model. Modeling analysis focused on winter months, when high wave energy is present along with sea ice. This study includes recommendations to improve the accuracy of wave resource assessments and optimize marine and hydrokinetic device siting with consideration of sea-ice effects. Additional recommendations, based on preliminary sea-ice information in Cook Inlet, Alaska, are provided for a trajectory analysis of drifting sea ice and a collision risk assessment of sea ice and tidal turbines. The outcome of this project will provide valuable information about the level of sea-ice impact on the accuracy of wave resource assessments in the Alaska nearshore region, and of sea-ice collision risk with MHK devices and ocean observation systems during winter months when sea ice is present.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2021

Aquifer Monitoring Using Ambient Seismic Noise Recorded With Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) Deployed on Dark Fiber

Abstract Groundwater is a critical resource for human activities worldwide, and a vital component of many natural ecosystems. However, the state and dynamics of water‐bearing aquifers remain uncertain, mostly due to the paucity of subsurface data at high spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we show that analysis of infrastructure‐generated ambient seismic noise acquired on distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) arrays has potential as a tool to track variations in seismic velocities (d v / v ) caused by groundwater level fluctuations. We analyze 5 months of ambient noise acquired along an unused, 23 km‐long telecommunication fiber‐optic cable in the Sacramento Valley, CA, a so‐called “dark fiber." Three array subsections, ∼6 km apart, are processed and the stretching technique is applied to retrieve daily d v / v beneath each location. Near the Sacramento river, d v / v variations in the order of 2%–3% correlate with precipitation events and fluctuations in river stage of ∼1.5 m. In contrast, regions away (2.5 km) from the river do not experience large d v / v variations. These observations reveal short‐scale spatial variability in aquifer dynamics captured by this approach. Dispersion analysis and surface wave inversion of noise gathers reveal that seismic velocity perturbations occur at depths of 10–30 m. Rock physics modeling confirms that observed d v / v are linked to pore pressure changes at these depths, caused by groundwater table fluctuations. Our results suggest that DAS combined with ambient noise interferometry provides a means of tracking aquifer dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolutions at local to regional scales, relevant for effective groundwater resource management.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Wind and Weather Variability within the Californian Offshore Wind Energy Areas

Weather variability over the Northeast Pacific (NEP) region and its influence on wind resources within the Californian offshore wind energy areas (WEAs) at Humboldt and Morro Bay are characterized using 20-years reanalysis model and satellite data. The hub-height (180 m) winds at both locations are predominantly northwesterly driven by the NEP high pressure system, with strong coastal gradients in surface pressure, fluxes, planetary boundary layer (PBL) depths and cloudiness. These sharp coastal gradients and strong annual cycles of temperature and moisture advections pose potential challenges in accurately modeling the local wind resource. Hub-height wind speeds and power capacity factors significantly vary for different regimes of PBL depths, surface fluxes and rain area fractions. This highlights the importance of studying the physical mechanisms driving these weather regimes, hence our analysis of how large-scale NEP weather variability drives the local meteorology at the WEAs. Furthermore, at both WEAs, PBL tops and cloud boundaries intersect the rotor layer (80-280 m) more than 30% and 20% of the time, respectively. While PBL depths significantly modulates hub-height winds and power, cloud boundaries do not have a similar impact, likely due to reanalysis errors in simulating cloud boundaries accurately. These findings underscore the challenges in deploying tall wind turbines in shallow cloudy boundary layers, where the interaction between clouds, precipitation, and atmospheric layers can impact turbine efficiency. As turbines grow taller and are deployed in more complex meteorological conditions, understanding these interactions is crucial for improving wind power forecasting and optimizing energy production in coastal regions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Understanding Low Level Jets in the US Atlantic Offshore

Low level jets (LLJs) in the atmosphere exhibit a local windspeed maximum in the boundary layer, with positive shear beneath the jet and negative shear above the jet. Wind turbines tend to experience increased loads with varying wake recovery characteristics in the presence of an LLJ, therefore understanding the mechanism and impact of LLJs is crucial to wind energy development. The US Mid-Atlantic offshore region is a huge potential wind energy resource, yet LLJs in this area are poorly understood. In particular, the coastal offshore environment does not exhibit the same diurnal cycle that leads to strong LLJs in the well-characterized Great Plains region. In this study, we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) plus lidar buoy data to identify case studies for LLJ events in 2020 in the New York Bight. A reduced order model is presented to explain the onset of these events based on the competing effects of baroclinicity and eddy diffusivity. Finally, using the macro-scale WRF, we drive a micro-scale large eddy simulation (LES) to generate a more detailed characterization of the Marine Boundary Layer during an LLJ. Gaining a better understanding of LLJs and their impacts on offshore wind in the mid-Atlantic is crucial for a transition toward renewable energy.

atmospheric boundary layer↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hybrid Cooling and Water Treatment for Resilient, Water-Self-Sufficient Data Centers

The continued growth of data center infrastructure is intensifying demand for freshwater resources, particularly in water-stressed regions, and is increasingly limiting sustainable capacity expansion. This work investigates a conceptual hybrid system that integrates freeze desalination with ultrasonic-assisted ice separation to enable on-site production of pure water from diverse sources, including seawater, brackish groundwater, and reclaimed industrial or agricultural wastewater. Simultaneously, the system produces low-temperature cooling streams that enhance heat removal in high power density computing environments. A process-level thermodynamic analysis is performed across a range of boundary and operating conditions, including variations in feed concentration, freezing temperature, and mass flow rate. The results are presented as performance curves relating feedwater concentration and target purified water output to the corresponding intake flow requirements, enabling estimation of source water demand per unit of Information Technology Equipment (ITE) energy consumption (kWh) across varying data center scales and operational scenarios. The corresponding electrical energy consumption for integrated cooling and water treatment is also evaluated as a function of system operating parameters and target water production levels. These results provide a basis for evaluating system feasibility across different conditions and for identifying parameter ranges in which integrated water treatment and cooling improve resource efficiency, thermal performance, and operational flexibility in data centers.

Elhefny, Aly [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000284907923)↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Regional Approach to Offshore Wind Energy Manufacturing in the Central Atlantic: Supply Chain

Growth of the offshore wind industry in the United States is likely to require growth in the nation's manufacturing capacity and additional resources and investments to meet energy project demands. Such growth has the potential to provide positive economic impacts for local communities, workers, and entire states. To realize the benefits of developing a domestic offshore wind supply chain, the states of Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia are working together under the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Resources (SMART-POWER) regional collaboration to advance the industry, with Delaware as a supporting state. This report is part of the SMART-POWER Workforce and Supply Chain Analysis study, funded by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium. The study assesses challenges and opportunities for the four Central Atlantic states to understand key regional strengths and identify supply chain investments that could effectively leverage their resources and provide benefits to both the member states and the offshore wind sector as a whole.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Geologic hydrogen: From natural occurrences to anthropogenic generation – A review of fundamentals, potential, challenges and prospects

Growing demand for hydrogen is exposing the environmental and economic limits of reforming-based and carbon-managed supply chains, while the scale-up of electrolytic capacity remains capital-constrained. Geologic hydrogen, defined as molecular H₂ generated and stored within the Earth's crust offers a complementary, potentially lower-cost resource, yet exploration is still ad hoc. This review (1) revisits a global inventory of confirmed hydrogen seeps and subsurface occurrences; (2) analyzes the controlling reactions, migration pathways, and trapping conditions governing these occurrences; (3) proposes a process-based geologic hydrogen system concept analogous to, yet distinct from, the petroleum system; and (4) evaluates potential geologic hydrogen systems within the United States as a representative case study. Here, we contrast natural systems powered by serpentinization, mantle degassing or radiolysis with anthropogenic systems that stimulate the same reactions or convert in-situ hydrocarbons. Stable hydrogen accumulations require generation rates that outpace combined physical, chemical and microbial losses; the Bourakébougou field (Mali) exemplifies a self-recharging, free-gas reservoir sustained by meteoric-water serpentinization beneath an efficient caprock. Prospective geologic hydrogen resources are likely to occur in regions where iron-rich lithologies, deep-seated faults, and low-permeability sealing formations coexist. Applying this principle, we highlight three promising hydrogen play types in U.S. geological terrains: ophiolite belts (Appalachian and Californian regions), the Midcontinent Rift and the Lake Superior banded‑iron formations. Multiphysics numerical models and positive-unlabeled machine-learning workflows help to accelerate play screening and de-risk future production; yet, reaction kinetics, stimulation strategies, and full techno-economic and life-cycle assessments remain pivotal knowledge gaps.

Anthropogenic hydrogen generation↗
DOE OSTI2021

Shifts in hydroclimatology of US megaregions in response to climate change

Most of the population and economic growth in the United States occurs in megaregions as the clustered metropolitan areas, whereas climate change may amplify negative impacts on water and natural resources. This study assesses shifts in regional hydroclimatology of fourteen US megaregions in response to climate change over the 21st century. Hydroclimatic projections were simulated using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model driven by three downscaled climate models from the Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogs (MACA) dataset to cover driest to wettest future conditions in the conterminous United States (CONUS). Shifts in the regional hydroclimatolgy and basin characteristics of US megaregions were represented as a combination of changes in the aridity and evaporative indices using the Budyko framework and Fu's equation. Changes in the climate types of US megaregions were estimated using the Fine Gaussian Support Vector Machine (SVM) method. The results indicate that Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco are more likely to experience less arid conditions with some shifts from Continental to Temperate climate type while the hydroclimatology of Houston may become drier with some shifts from Temperate to Continental climate type. Additionally, water yield is likely to decrease in Seattle. Change in the hydroclimatology of Denver and Phoenix highly depends on the selected climate model. However, the basin characteristics of Phoenix have the highest sensitivity to climate change. Overall, the hydroclimatic conditions of Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, and Houston have the highest sensitivity to climate change. Understanding of future shifts in hydroclimatology of megaregions can help decision-makers to attenuate negative consequences by implementing appropriate adaptation strategies, particularly in the water-scare megaregions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

New Mexico Clean Energy and Resilience Growth (NM CERG) Cluster

The New Mexico Clean Energy Resilience and Growth (NM CERG) project was designed to foster a clean energy cluster in New Mexico by providing a robust pipeline of support for clean-energy technology startups. By leveraging the expertise and resources of national laboratories, universities, and regional partners, the project contributed to a deeper understanding of how public-private partnerships can enhance the commercialization of innovative clean energy technologies. The project explored the key challenges faced by startups, such as securing capital, rapid prototyping, technology validation, and transitioning from research to market-ready products.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2025

lllinois Storage Corridor CarbonSAFE Phase III: Pre-drilling Site Assessment: Prairie State Generating Company

The Illinois Storage Corridor project will drill a stratigraphic test well as part of the Illinois Storage Corridor CarbonSAFE Phase 3 project near the Prairie State Generating Company coal-fired power plant near Marissa, Illinois. The pre-drilling site evaluation has considered the primary target reservoirs, the Potosi Dolomite and St. Peter Sandstone, and primary seal, the Maquoketa Group. Data to be collected from the well include core, fluid samples, in situ well tests, geophysical logs intended to provide information on lithologic, geomechanical, and geophysical characteristics to determine the feasibility for the geologic sequestration of 50 million metric tons or more of injected carbon dioxide. The planned drilling site has been evaluated using available subsurface geologic data and analyses from the Illinois Basin. These data provide lithologic and structural information, shallow groundwater resource distribution, location of known nearby wellbores, and regional drilling characteristics. The data were used to generate geologic structure and isopach maps for the target reservoir and caprock strata and for prognosing the tops of major lithologic units to aid drilling and coring procedures. The regional analyses indicate that no known structural features are expected to negatively impact the target storage reservoir or caprock. No protected and sensitive areas, groundwater resources, or existing resource development are expected to be impacted by the proposed well drilling activities. The well is planned to be drilled to a total depth of approximately 5,600 feet (1,707 m) and terminate in the Precambrian. Cores (up to 5 intervals) will be collected from the Maquoketa Group, confining units above the St. Peter Sandstone, St. Peter Sandstone, confining units of the Potosi Dolomite and the Potosi Dolomite. Water samples will be attempted to be collected from the St. Peter Sandstone and Potosi Dolomite. Potential impact on drilling progress is a lost circulation zone in the Potosi Dolomite, which has been demonstrated to have intermittent cavernous porosity from karstification elsewhere in the Illinois Basin. This document also presents a preliminary coring and sampling program, proposed logging suite, and well testing program, all of which will be reviewed during drilling.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sanitary Waste Landfill Effects on an Invasive Wild Pig Population

Being opportunistic omnivores, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) readily feed on edible garbage. Given the presence of substantial volumes of edible food waste, large multi-county and regional municipal sanitary waste landfills constitute attractive forage resources for pigs, providing a year-round anthropogenic source of potentially high-quality forage. Our objective was to assess the effects that a large regional landfill has on the local pigs foraging in that facility's waste disposal cells. The landfill, located on the United States Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, USA, became operational in 1998 and pigs began foraging there in 2001. By 2009 >100 pigs/night were observed foraging in the landfill, suggesting landfill establishment may have important consequences for population dynamics, public safety, and disease transmission. We evaluated changes in body mass, fetal litter size, numbers of pigs removed, and wild pig-vehicle collisions (WPVCs) before (1980–2000) and after (2001–2019) pigs began foraging in the landfill on SRS. Body mass during the after period increased to a greater extent for pigs in the vicinity of the landfill compared to pigs on the rest of SRS. Fetal litter size increased for pigs in the vicinity of the landfill, whereas it remained unchanged on the rest of SRS. Our density surrogate (number of pigs harvested) increased around the landfill during the after period by 2.9 times, whereas on the rest of the site it only increased by 53%. No WPVCs occurred adjacent to the landfill before 2001, but WPVCs increased along the 2 major roads bordering the landfill after 2001. Effects of sanitary waste landfills on wild pig populations scavenging there can present unique challenges to population management, control, public safety, and disease transmission. Potential approaches to address these challenges could be exclusion fencing to prevent access to the landfill's waste disposal cells or enhanced placement of waste cell covers to reduce access.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Regional Inertia Estimation Using Actual Event Measurements: Florida Case

As inverter-based resources’ integration in power grids increases, their uneven distribution across the electrical network leads to the formation of local regions that are weakly coupled to the larger interconnection. This signifies the necessity of regional frequency dynamics investigation and analyzing various inertia metrics. This paper presents a practical methodology for estimating regional rate-of-change of frequency (RoCoF) using actual event recordings, which is then used to evaluate regional inertia. Florida (FL) is selected as the region of interest due to its distinct regional frequency dynamics and the rising levels of solar generation. We identify and analyze confirmed events from 2017 to 2024 that occurred in FL. The results indicate that FL contributes about 14% to the total inertia of the US Eastern Interconnection, which approximately matches its share of generation capacity. Results also highlight seasonal fluctuations in energy generation, which play a significant role in influencing inertia and thus the RoCoF levels. This emphasizes the importance of estimating regional inertia to enhance grid operations for a future that focuses on distributed generation.

Dulal, Saurav [University of Tennessee, Knoxville ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Regionalized Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Forest Biomass Use for Electricity Generation in the United States

This study presents a cradle-to-grave life cycle analysis (LCA) of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the electricity generated from forest biomass in different regions of the United States (U.S.), taking into consideration regional variations in biomass availabilities and logistics. The regional biomass supply for a 20 MW bioelectricity facility is estimated using the Land Use and Resource Allocation (LURA) model. Results from LURA and data on regional forest management, harvesting, and processing are incorporated into the GHGs, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model for LCA. The results suggest that GHG emissions of mill residues-based pathways can be 15-52% lower than those of pulpwood-based pathways, with logging residues falling in between. Nonetheless, our analysis suggests that screening bioenergy projects on specific feedstock types alone is not sufficient because GHG emissions of a pulpwood-based pathway in one state can be lower than those of a mill residue-based pathway in another state. Furthermore, the available biomass supply often consists of several woody feedstocks, and its composition is region-dependent. Forest biomass-derived electricity is associated with 86-93% lower life-cycle GHG emissions than the emissions of the average grid electricity in the U.S. Key factors driving bioelectricity GHG emissions include electricity generation efficiency, transportation distance, and energy use for biomass harvesting and processing.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Precise 2D electric field density simulations for superconducting quantum devices

Dielectric loss due to two-level systems is a limiting factor for superconducting qubit relaxation times. These losses arise mostly from nanometer-scale interfacial defect regions in superconducting devices with planar dimensions of microns to millimeters, thus making it resource intensive to accurately simulate the electric field density in these regions with traditional electromagnetic solvers. In this work, we demonstrate a fast boundary integral equation solver that allows precise simulation of electric field density in these thin regions, showing a speedup of around two orders of magnitude over traditional solvers, with relative errors around $10^{-7}$ for a ten-minute solution runtime. By computing participation ratios through Green's first identity without squaring the electric field, our approach is less susceptible to the field singularities near conductor corners. We apply this solver to a basic untrenched coplanar waveguide cross-section, showing that the common assumption of participation ratio linearity with dielectric constant holds well for some interfaces and not others; in particular, while the metal-air (MA) top and corner follow this linear relationship strongly, the MA sidewall does not. We then compare isotropic and anisotropic etching, showing that the MA sidewall and the metal-air-substrate triple junction are the most strongly affected. We are currently leveraging this solver to explore geometries that will uniquely isolate the participation ratios of the different dielectrics. Finally, we are working to combine this solver framework with a full 3D microwave solver to accurately calculate participation ratios for the thin dielectrics that are known sources of loss in superconducting qubits.

Gimbutas, Z. [NIST, Boulder] (ORCID:00000003320982↗
DOE OSTI2025

Midwest Regional Innovation Partnership

Our project team began this project (originally called the Midwest Regional Innovation Partnership, now the Heartland Climate Tech Partnership, referred to subsequently as “Heartland”) to strengthen the innovation ecosystem and increase the level of support for hardtech startups focused on energy. We are happy that working together across our complementary organizations, we have done just that. There is significantly more support programming, easy access to resources, and ecosystem connectivity in the Midwest region than before this effort began - connectivity that continues to grow beyond the period of performance of this grant.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Geothermal play fairway analysis, part 1: Example from the Snake River Plain, Idaho

The Snake River Plain (SRP) volcanic province overlies the track of the Yellowstone hotspot, a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle. Most of the area is underlain by a basaltic volcanic province that overlies a mid-crustal intrusive complex, which in turn provides the long-term heat flux needed to sustain geothermal systems. Previous studies have identified several known geothermal resource areas within the SRP. For the geothermal study presented herein, our goals were to: (1) adapt the methodology of Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) for geothermal exploration to create a formal basis for its application to geothermal systems, (2) assemble relevant data for the SRP from publicly available and private sources, and (3) build a geothermal PFA model for the SRP and identify the most promising plays, using GIS-based software tools that are standard in the petroleum industry. The study focused on identifying three critical resource parameters for exploitable hydrothermal systems in the SRP: heat source, reservoir and recharge permeability, and cap or seal. Data included in the compilation for heat source were heat flow, distribution and ages of volcanic vents, groundwater temperatures, thermal springs and wells, helium isotope anomalies, and reservoir temperatures estimated using geothermometry. Reservoir and recharge permeability was inferred from the analysis of stress orientations and magnitudes, post-Miocene faults, and subsurface structural lineaments based on magnetics and gravity data. Data for cap or seal included the distribution of impermeable lake sediments and clay-seal associated with hydrothermal alteration below the regional aquifer. These data were used to compile Common Risk Segment maps for heat, permeability, and seal, which were combined to create a Composite Common Risk Segment map for all southern Idaho that reflects the risk associated with geothermal resource exploration and identifies favorable resource tracks. Our regional assessment indicated that undiscovered geothermal resources may be located in several areas of the SRP. Two of these areas, the western SRP and Camas Prairie, were selected for more detailed assessment, during which heat, permeability, and seal were evaluated using newly collected field data and smaller grid parameters to refine the location of potential resources. These higher resolution assessments illustrate the flexibility of our approach over a range of scales.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗