September Public Lecture Flyer, 2023

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.

September 28, 2023, at 6PM PDT