The Department of Energy funding in adapting play fairway analysis to geothermal exploration could yield significant additional power from energy hidden deep in the Earth. In this graphic, the University of Hawaii team presented the probability map generated in Phase 1 of their project work. Source: Nicole Lautze, University of Hawaii
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.