Work to expand geothermal energy has expanded beyond surface-identified hydrothermal resources to include blind, or “hidden,” hydrothermal systems—those without surface expression—alongside enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and low-temperature systems. These varied types of geothermal resources comprise sizeable potential for the United States, with the capability to significantly increase electricity generation, direct use, and other geothermal applications.

Locating and qualifying  blind geothermal systems can be time- and resource-intensive, with a low probability of success. Developing a systematic approach to finding and screening resources early in the exploration process will reduce costs and improve the success rate of geothermal development projects, which can ultimately improve access to project financing.

Borrowed from oil and gas exploration, Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) can improve success rates for exploration drilling, thus reducing the costs of geothermal projects while facilitating development in new areas. Once identified, hydrothermal resources can be brought online using existing technologies, supporting the near-term expansion of domestic renewable energy.  

The Geothermal Technologies Office’s (GTO) PFA initiative supported projects to advance and adapt PFA for geothermal energy across the country, resulting in regional, basin-scale maps to help quantify and reduce uncertainty for geothermal energy exploration. 

Play Fairway Analysis Phases

• Phase 1 (2014- 2015)
  • Selected projects spanned the country, from the Aleutian Arc in Alaska to the Appalachian Basin on the East Coast, and produced regional, basin-scale maps to help quantify and reduce uncertainty for geothermal energy exploration.
• Phase 2 (2015-2017)
  • Projects selected for continued funding in Phase 2 moved from desktop analysis to collecting new geochemical, geophysical, and geological data in the field, with the ultimate goal of identifying drilling targets for Phase 3.
• Phase 3 (2017–2021)
  • Projects selected to continue into Phase 3 conducted exploratory drilling campaigns to test the ability of models developed in Phase 1 and 2 to discover new resources.

PFA Projects

Comprehensive Analysis of Hawaii’s Geothermal Potential through Play Fairway Integration of Geophysical, Geochemical, and Geological Data 
Team: University of Hawaii 
Phases Funded: 1, 2, and 3
Report: Play Fairway Analysis of Geothermal Resources across the State of Hawai‘i: 4. Updates with new groundwater chemistry, subsurface stress analysis, and focused geophysical surveys

Convergence of Heat, Groundwater, and Fracture Permeability: Innovative Play Fairway Modelling Applied to the Tularosa Basin 
Team: Ruby Mountain and University of Utah (Energy Geoscience Institute)
Phases Funded: 1 and 2
Report: The Convergence of Heat, Groundwater & Fracture Permeability: Innovative Play Fairway Modelling Applied to the Tularosa Basin

Discovering Geothermal Systems in the Great Basin Region
Team: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and University of Nevada, Reno 
Phases Funded: 1, 2, and 3
Report: Discovering Blind Geothermal Systems in the Great Basin Region: An Integrated Geologic and Geophysical Approach for Establishing Geothermal Play Fairways: All Phases

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis of the Snake River Plain, Idaho
Team: Utah State University 
Phases Funded: 1, 2, and 3
Report: Play Fairway Analysis of the Snake River Plain, Idaho: Final Report

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis of Washington State Prospects
Team: Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Phases Funded: 1, 2, and 3
Report: Geothermal Play-Fairway Analysis of Washington State Prospects: Final Report

Geothermal Potential of the Cascades and Aleutian Arcs
Team: Atlas Geosciences 
Phases Funded: 1
Report: Final Report - Cascades/Aleutians Play Fairway Project

Hydrogeological Windows: Regional Signature Detection for Blind and Traditional Geothermal Play Fairways
Team: Los Alamos National Laboratory 
Phases Funded: 1
Report: Hydrogeologic Windows: Regional Signature Detection for Blind and Traditional Geothermal Play Fairways applied to Southwestern New Mexico

Low-Temperature Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis for the Appalachian Basin Team: Cornell University 
Phases Funded: 1
Report: Research Report of Low Temperature Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis for the Appalachian Basin

Play Fairway Analysis Applied to Geothermal Exploration 
Team: University of California, Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Phases Funded: 1
Report: Play-fairway analysis for geothermal resources and exploration risk in the Modoc Plateau region

Structurally Controlled Geothermal Systems, Central Cascadia
Team: University of Utah (Energy and Geoscience Institute)
Phases Funded: 1
Report: Structurally Controlled Geothermal Systems in the Central Cascades Arc-Backarc Regime, Oregon

Structurally Controlled Geothermal Systems, Eastern Great Basin Extensional Regime 
Team: University of Utah (Energy and Geoscience Institute)
Phases Funded: 1, 2, and 3
Report: Eastern Great Basin Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis Report

Learn more about these projects by viewing the Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis presentations in GTO’s 2017 Peer Review, or by accessing the Geothermal PFA project data in the Geothermal Data Repository.