Utah Geothermal Working Group
Inactive since 2009
The Utah Geothermal Working Group (UGWG) is an organization comprised of representatives from federal, state, and local governments; utilities; renewable energy advocates; geothermal industry; environmental organizations; landowners; and other entities interested in development of geothermal energy in Utah.
The UGWG’s mission is to promote innovative development and effective utilization of Utah’s geothermal resources for direct use, power generation, and cascading uses. The primary emphasis is promotion of direct-use applications and small-scale geothermal power projects to stimulate rural economic development.
Since its inception in 2003, UGWG has met generally once or twice a year in various meeting formats including workshops and field trips in an effort to disseminate geothermal information to the interested public. UGWG has developed a position paper that outlines the current geothermal uses in the state and presents a number of policy options for future direction.
Position Paper
Geothermal Energy Development in Utah (pdf)
April 2005
Geothermal Heat Pump, 2009
April 29 – 30, 2009
The 2009 Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) Workshop was held at the Salt Lake City Library in downtown Salt Lake City on April 29, and April 30, 2009.
This workshop included presentations and discussions on GHP case histories, new drilling techniques, available products and services, water quality, and policy.
This workshop was designed for interested parties and utility staff who wanted to learn about geothermal heat pumps and to compare them with other resource options, or to learn how to improve existing programs.
The workshop was sponsored by the Utah State Energy Program, American Public Power Association (APPA), the Energy and Geoscience Institute, the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Technology, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the SMU Geothermal Laboratory, SoundGT, the US DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Program, and Western Area Power Administration (WAPA).
PDF Presentations
SW Utah’s Geothermal Potential, 2008
April 22 – 23, 2008
This workshop focused on southwestern Utah’s geothermal potential for electricity, direct-use, and ground-source heat pumps and was held at Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah on April 22-23, 2008.
This meeting was designed for utilities, municipalities, students, and homeowners – however all interested parties were encouraged to attend.
The highly qualified speakers on the agenda bring a mix of professional experience in all aspects of geothermal energy.
The workshop was hosted by the Utah Geological Survey’s State Energy Program (SEP), Southern Utah University’s Department of Physical Sciences, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geopowering the West.
PDF Presentations
| Geothermal Resources in the Eastern Great Basin of Utah | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Developing Geothermal Resources in Utah and the Western Markets | Daniel Fleishmann, Ormat Technologies, Inc. |
| Utah Renewable Energy Incentives | Jason Berry, Utah Geological Survey |
| ENEL North America Geothermal Projects in the Western U.S. |
John Snow, ENEL North America |
| Raser Technologies, Inc. | Mike Hayter, Raser Technologies |
| GeoExchange: Application for Low Temperature Geothermal | Cary Smith, Sound Geothermal |
| Blundell Geothermal Power Plant | Garth Larsen, PacifiCorp |
Electricity Generation, 2007
March 14 and 15, 2007
This meeting of the Utah Geothermal Working Group was held at the Utah State Library & Blind Center, Multi-Purpose Room, 1950 West 250 North, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The focus of the meeting was geothermal electricity generation.
PowerPoint Presentations
| Geothermal Development in Utah – 2006 | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Utah Legislative Update | Phil Powlick, Utah Geological Survey, State Energy Program |
| New Federal Rules for Geothermal Leasing and Permitting | Kermit Witherbee & Al Mckee, Bureau of Land Management |
| The Role of Geothermal in Enhancing Energy Diversity and Security in the Western US | Roger Hill, Sandia National Laboratory |
| Blundell Geothermal Plant Expansion | Rene Andrews, Blundell Plant, PacifiCorp |
Direct Use & Heat Pumps, 2006
March 22 and 23, 2006
Schedule (pdf)
The Utah Geothermal Working Group sponsored a two-day workshop on ground-source heat pump (GHP) applications and direct-use of geothermal resources at the Quality Inn Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah on March 22-23, 2006.
The first day was devoted to ground-source heat pumps and included talks on utilization history, current installations, case studies, and operational experience in the western United States. The second day was devoted to direct-use application of geothermal resources and included talks on the nature of the resource, geothermal well completion, economics of direct-use projects, and case studies of various direct-use applications in the western United States. Afternoon field trips to GHP and geothermal direct-use sites followed each of the morning technical sessions.
This workshop was co-sponsored by the Utah Geothermal Working Group, U.S. Department of Energy GeoPowering the West, Sound Geothermal, Oregon Institute of Technology Geo-Heat Center, Washington State University Energy Program, University of Utah Energy & Geoscience Institute, and the Utah Geological Survey State Energy Program.
PowerPoint Presentations
| Introduction | |
|---|---|
| Ground-Source Heat Pumps and Geothermal Direct Use | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Geothermal Heat Pumps | |
| Commercial Geothermal Heat Pumps, Operation and Maintenance – How Reliable Are They? | Gordon Bloomquist, Washington State University Energy Program |
| Energy FinAnswer & FinAnswer Express Programs | Trig Soleim, Utah Power |
| Geothermal Retrofit of HVAC Systems | Andrew Chiasson, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Geothermal Heat Pump, Case Study I | Andrew Chiasson, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Geothermal Heat Pump Systems: Closed-Loop Design Considerations | Andrew Chiasson, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Jordan School District | Duane Devey |
| Ground Source Heat Pumps | Cary Smith, Sound Geothermal |
| Direct-Use Applications | |
| Nature and Occurrence of Geothermal Resources | Joe Moore, Energy and Geoscience Institute |
| Direct-Heat Geothermal Systems: steps to improve understanding about the source of heat | Rick Allis, Utah Geological Survey |
| Section 9006, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program | Richard Carrig, USDA-Rural Development |
| Geothermal Template for USDA Farm Bill Section 9006 – Applied to a Dairy Farm | Andrew Chiasson, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Geothermal Resources in Utah, An Overview and Description of Uses in Utah | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Geothermal Business Incubator | James C. Witcher, Witcher and Associates |
| Greenhouse and Aquaculture Applications of Geothermal Energy | Tonya Boyd, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Greenhouse and Aquaculture Design Considerations | John W. Lund, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Industrial Applications | John W. Lund, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Geothermal Drilling | James C. Witcher, Witcher and Associates |
| Direct Heat Utilization of Geothermal Energy | John W. Lund, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| Geothermal District Energy | Gordon Bloomquist, Washington State University Energy Program |
| Evaluating the Feasibility of Geothermal Direct Use Projects | Gordon Bloomquist, Washington State University Energy Program |
| Websites and Sources of Geothermal Information | Tonya Boyd, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
Meeting, 2005
October 12, 2005
PowerPoint Presentations
| Geothermal Power Generation Workshop | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Amp Resources, Aquatrack and Kalina Cycle Technologies | Lyle Ball and Paul Stephan, Amp Resources |
| Raft River Geothermal Project | Doug Glaspey, US Geothermal Inc. |
| Geo-Heat Center: History, Scope of Services and Activities | John Lund, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| The United States of America Country Update | Gordon Bloomquist, Washington State University Energy Program |
Geothermal Power Generation, 2005
August 17th, 2005
The Department of Energy’s GeoPowering the West (GPW) program hosted a Geothermal Power Generation Workshop at the Department of Natural Resources on August 17th, 2005.
The workshop focused on the key benefits and risks of including geothermal power in a utility’s resources portfolio. This meeting was designed for utility resource personnel, however all interested parties were encouraged to attend. The highly qualified speakers on the agenda brought a mix of professional experience in all aspects of geothermal energy.
The workshop was sponsored by the following organizations: American Public Power Association, Geothermal Resources Council, Geothermal Energy Association, Geothermal Education Office, Utah Geothermal Working Group, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Sandia National Laboratory and Western Area Power Administration.
Guy Nelson, UEF (chair), Leon Pexton, UMPA, Garth Larsen, PacifiCorp and Bob Putnam, CH2M-Hill
PowerPoint Presentations
| Welcome | |
|---|---|
| US DOE, Geothermal Technologies Program Overview | Sandy Glatt, US Department of Energy |
| Geothermal Energy | Patrick Laney, Idaho National Laboratory |
| Utah Geothermal Developments 2005 | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Panel I: Geothermal Energy Portolio from a Utility Perspective | |
| The Pleasures and Pains of Owning and Operating a Geothermal Plant |
Garth Larsen, PacifiCorp |
| Results of Geothermal Power Survey of Electric G&T Cooperatives | Robert Putnam, CH2M Hill Bob Gibson, NRECA Steve Lindenberg, Lindenberg Consulting |
| Geothermal Energy Portfolio | Leon Pexton, Utah Municipal Power Agency |
| Presentations | |
| Getting a Geothermal Project Online and to the Market | Daniel Schochet, ORMAT Nevada, Inc. |
| The Role of Geothermal in Enhancing Energy Diversity and Security in the Western US | Roger Hill, Sandia Labs, GeoPowering the West |
| Panel II: Power Purchase Agreements | |
| Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems | Douglas Hunter, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems |
| PacifiCorp Informational Update | Ernie Wessman, PacifiCorp |
| Panel III: Project Development and Management Expertise | |
| Cost and Supply of Geothermal Power | Susan Petty, Black Mountain Technology |
| Amp Resources | Bruce Levy, Amp Resources |
| Panel IV: Permitting, Regulatory, and Environmental Issues | |
| Geothermal – Utah | Robert Henricks, BLM |
| Regulatory Issues | Becky Wilson, Utah Public Service Commission |
Meeting, 2005
February 24, 2005
Minutes (pdf)
The fourth meeting of the Utah Geothermal Working Group was held February 24, 2005 at the Utah Department of Natural Resources, 1594 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The objectives of this group were to (1) inform and educate members about geothermal resources and development in Utah, and (2) help remove barriers to geothermal development by creating a set of action items to focus the working group.
PowerPoint Presentations
| Crystal Hot Springs | Jon Allred, Utah Energy Office |
| Utah Geothermal Marketing Group Meeting | Gordon Bloomquist, Washington State University Energy Program |
| Renewable Energy and Power, GeoPowering the West |
Patrick Laney, Idaho National Laboratory |
Exploring Utah Geothermal Opportunities, 2004
January 20, 2004
Agenda (pdf)
The Utah Geothermal Working Group, the National Geothermal Collaborative, and the Geothermal Resources Council sponsored a one day event, Exploring Utah Geothermal Opportunities on January 20, 2004 at the Marriott downtown at 75 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The purpose of the event was to engage the target audience in an information exchange/dialogue with some of the leading experts in the country, and individuals from Utah with hands-on geothermal experience to explore issues and opportunities pertaining to geothermal development in Utah.
PowerPoint Presentations
| Events Influencing Geothermal Development in Utah | |
|---|---|
| Geothermal Resource Development in Utah | Robert Blackett, Utah Geological Survey |
| Geothermal Lease Sale | Bob Henricks, BLM |
| Geopowering the West | Robert Neilson, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory |
| National Geothermal Collaborative | Kathleen Rutherford, Resolve, Inc. |
| Opportunities and Business Applications | |
| Greenhouse, Aquaculture and Industrial Applications of Geothermal Energy | Toni Boyd and John Lund, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology |
| AmeriCulture, Tilapia Aquaculture in the Desert | James Witcher, Southwest Technology Development Institute, New Mexico State University |
| Geothermal Economic Impact | James Witcher |
| Relevant Regulations | |
| National Geothermal Policy and Regulation | Gordon Bloomquist, Washington State University Energy Program |
| US Geothermal Policy, Providing Incentives For and Reducing the Risk of Development | Gordon Bloomquist |
| US Geothermal Policy, Geothermal Steam Act Revision Under Consideration | Gordon Bloomquist |
| Utah Geothermal | Gordon Bloomquist |
| How to Finance Development | |
| Exploring Utah Geothermal Opportunities | Liz Battocletti, Bob Lawrence and Associates |
| Geothermal project funding opportunities through USDA-Rural Development | Richard Carrig, Rural Business Programs Director, USDA, Utah |
| What Issues are Developers Faced with that the State Can Influence? | |
| Utah Geothermal | Bob Henricks, BLM |
| A View from the Field, The Developer’s Approach to Geothermal Projects | Daniel Schochet, ORMAT Nevada, Inc. |
| Potential Policy Options to Advance Geothermal Development | |
| USDA-Rural Development Farm Bill Funding | Richard Carrig, Rural Business Programs Director, USDA, Utah |
| Geothermal Progress – The Energy Bill and the DOE Geothermal Technologies Program | Robert Neilson, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory |
