Atlantic Geothermal LLC.
Atlantic Geothermal LLC has designed a geothermal power plant for operation in New England. We are currently seeking funding to complete a feasibility study for building a 160MW geothermal power plant in New Hampshire. Early stage funding will yield exact data on the geology, site design requirements and equipment to be used for building a 160 MW geothermal power plant. It will also prove the thermal exchange rates are adequate for our design.
Geothermal Power
At present, over 20 countries produce electricity leveraging heat from the earth. According to the Department of Energy, geothermal energy at 61 US plants produced 16,010 gigawatt hours of electricity in 2005. This still accounts for only 0.36% of US annual electricity generation. A key reason that research and development of the geothermal option has been limited is the assumption that geothermal power is only viable in places where resources are close to the surface and geologic conditions include high rock porosity/permeability and natural aquifers. This is because the current method of producing geothermal power relies on an open loop system whereby water is pumped through fractured rock deep underground. The ground heats the water as it flows through to an aquifer where it is pumped to the surface. Environmental concerns of man-made earth quakes from "fracking" and contaminated water supplies threaten to outlaw this practice.
Atlantic Geothermal represents a quantum step forward for the geothermal industry and can completely transform this sector. We propose using a closed loop system of interconnecting pipes instead of the industry standard open loop, "fracking" process. These same closed loop systems are now used in the geothermal HVAC or heat pump industry but have not yet been implemented at the depth required for geothermal power. The wide shaft drilling method uses staged drilling to minimize drill torque and reduces costs by limiting the amount of pipe in the ground. A series of hydrostatic locks manage shaft pressure while robots provide directional drilling more than 5 miles underground. At the base of the mine, a series of loops form an underground radiator to heat water pumped from the surface. The returning water is hot enough to generate steam to turn a turbine and generate electricity.
The current open loop geothermal systems used to produce electricity are designed for an optimal depletion rate and the well field is decommissioned after 20-30 years. By contrast, the closed loop system we call the Closed Loop Energy Mine (CLEM) is designed for an optimal recharge rate, making possible electricity production that can last for thousands of years, meeting the highest environmental standards.
A Paradigm Shift
This dynamic may be changing. In January 2007, a distinguished panel led by MIT Professor Jefferson Tester found that existing oil drilling technologies could be applied in new ways to stimulate and tap geothermal energy at much greater depths and under less ideal conditions than previously supposed.
According to the findings of the panel, such "Enhanced Geothermal Systems" (EGS) have the potential to supply a significant amount of the United States' electricity currently being generated by conventional fossil fuel, hydroelectric and nuclear plants.
The findings of the MIT panel further suggested that EGS combined with more traditional methods, could supply as much as 10% of U.S. energy needs by the year 2050.
J. David Reynolds
Founder & President
Atlantic Geothermal
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Deep Mass Energy Project - Phase 1
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