{"id":35532,"date":"2023-06-07T19:08:40","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T19:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/?p=35532"},"modified":"2024-08-19T18:47:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T18:47:13","slug":"earth-wind-fire-geothermal-plants-are-perfect-for-direct-air-capture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/our-take\/earth-wind-fire-geothermal-plants-are-perfect-for-direct-air-capture\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth, Wind, Fire: Geothermal Plants are Perfect for Direct Air Capture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Earlier this year, Houston-based geothermal energy developer <a href=\"https:\/\/fervoenergy.com\/fervo-energy-to-develop-combined-geothermal-and-direct-air-capture-facility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fervo<\/a> announced an important new project to use its next-generation geothermal systems to power a direct air capture (DAC) facility. The announcement marks another milestone in the path towards a decarbonized economy and the expanded use of both geothermal and DAC technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"center\" style=\"text-align: center;padding-right: 20px\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 28px\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20\">Geothermal + DAC = CO2 Reduction<\/span><\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"clearpath-lightbox-img alignnone wp-image-5112 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/06\/geo-plus-dac-equal-planet.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"198\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 800px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 800\/198;\"><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Need for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2<\/sub><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Deploying DAC technologies offer an exciting opportunity to add another tool to the toolbox for lowering global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by removing CO2 from the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most decarbonization efforts focus on two areas. The first is keeping CO<sub>2<\/sub> from going up into the atmosphere by generating electricity from technologies that don\u2019t emit CO<sub>2<\/sub> at all \u2014 think nuclear or renewables like hydropower and geothermal. The second effort is to use technology to capture the CO<sub>2<\/sub> that would have been emitted from power plants and put it back underground \u2013 often referred to as carbon capture and storage (CCS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"float-right\" style=\"text-align: center;margin-left: 20px\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"clearpath-lightbox-img alignnone wp-image-5112 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/06\/dac-vaccuum-globe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"240\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/240;\"><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem, unfortunately, is that there is already a heck of a lot of extra CO<sub>2<\/sub> up in the atmosphere. DAC technologies offer a third option for decarbonizing by removing this CO<sub>2<\/sub> from the air around us. If you have not heard of DAC, think of it as a <a href=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/our-take\/a-new-tool-in-the-co2-reduction-toolkit-direct-air-capture-dac\/\">massive vacuum cleaner<\/a> that literally sucks carbon dioxide molecules out of the open air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With recent Congressional action to pass bills with clean energy incentives, DAC technology is poised to see major growth moving forward. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) granted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/fecm\/articles\/doe-invests-14-million-scale-direct-air-capture-and-storage-technology-coupled-low\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">series of awards<\/a> to universities, utilities, and private businesses to study a variety of potential implementation models for DAC technologies ranging from use on nuclear and geothermal power plants to retrofitting steel and fertilizer plant operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), called for <a href=\"https:\/\/netl.doe.gov\/node\/12400\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$3.5 billion in DOE funding<\/a> to be used to establish four regional DAC hubs to, \u201cdemonstrate processing, transport, secure geologic storage, and\/or conversion of CO<sub>2<\/sub> captured from the atmosphere with DAC technology and accelerate commercialization of those technologies.\u201d Project selections are expected later this summer and will provide another set of R&amp;D opportunities for this technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwe.com\/insights\/carbon-capture-utilization-and-sequestration-tax-benefits-under-the-proposed-inflation-reduction-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tax package passed last year<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/our-take\/why-45q-matters-and-why-its-not-enough\/\">45Q tax credit<\/a> for CCS technologies included a special rule for DAC projects to expand tax incentives with the hope of enabling the industry to scale and export innovations on a global scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Geothermal?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Geothermal energy is heat that radiates from the core of the Earth to the subsurface, produced by the decay of radioactive materials and residual heat from the planet\u2019s formation. Geysers, hot springs, volcanoes, and fumaroles are all locations where geothermal energy reaches all the way to the Earth\u2019s surface. It is easier to access geothermal resources in these locations, but geothermal resources are actually available anywhere if one drills deep enough. Geothermal energy, like wind and solar energy, is an inexhaustible natural resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS) create opportunities to use hot, dry rock by enhancing the permeability of a specific geology or by adding water. EGS developers drill wells and inject water at high pressures to crack rock. After permeability has been improved to increase fluid circulation, hot water can be drawn to the surface through a production well and used for electricity generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20\">U.S. Potential for Enhanced Geothermal Systems<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"center\" style=\"text-align: center;padding-right: 20px\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 20px\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20\">Dots Indicate Existing Hydrothermal Sites<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"clearpath-lightbox-img alignnone wp-image-5112 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2020\/04\/us-egs-potential-dots-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"356\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/356;\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"center\" style=\"text-align: center;padding-right: 20px\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 20px\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20\">Shaded Regions Are Potentially Suitable for EGS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"clearpath-lightbox-img alignnone wp-image-5112 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2020\/04\/us-egs-potential-shaded-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"383\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/383;\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Similar to recent policies adopted to support DAC, Congress has taken steps to support the geothermal industry in an effort to spur growth and innovation and to expand the map in facilitating its use in projects outside just the Western U.S. In addition to support in the tax package, the BIL set aside funding for the DOE to fund EGS demonstration projects. In February of this year, the DOE\u2019s Geothermal Technology Office announced they would fund <a href=\"https:\/\/www.powermag.com\/doe-dedicates-funding-for-up-to-seven-egs-geothermal-pilot-demonstrations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">up to seven EGS projects<\/a> with applications due this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perfect Union<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As of late 2022, there were 18 DAC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/direct-air-capture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">plants in operation<\/a> around the globe. Most of these are still smaller demonstration projects, but newly planned facilities like Occidental Petroleum\u2019s in West Texas will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxy.com\/news\/news-releases\/occidental-1pointfive-to-begin-construction-of-worlds-largest-direct-air-capture-plant-in-the-texas-permian-basin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">much larger<\/a>, with the potential to remove up to 1 megaton (MT) of CO<sub>2<\/sub> annually. To meet its net-zero goals, the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/direct-air-capture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">could require<\/a> 60 MT of CO<sub>2<\/sub> removal each year by 2030, which would necessitate the buildout of an additional 60 plants similar in size to Occidental\u2019s. Of note, Occidental <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energyintel.com\/00000180-3fbe-d2d2-a7e6-7ffe63210001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has said<\/a> that they could build up to 70 DAC projects globally by 2035 under current market conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To result in a net carbon removal, DAC plants need electricity supplied by a 24\/7 zero-emissions power source. Many DAC technologies also <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.mygeoenergynow.org\/grc\/1034141.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">require access<\/a> to a constant heat source, like that resulting from a geothermal plant, meaning EGS fits the bill perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add to that the fact that the captured CO<sub>2<\/sub> will need to be stored somewhere, usually in large underground geologic formations, and geothermal plant developers are uniquely qualified to pair with DAC plants. Companies like Fervo use next-generation technologies to survey the earth for their operations, and this same technology can be leveraged to help identify high-quality CO<sub>2<\/sub> storage locations for DAC operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"float-right\" style=\"text-align: center;margin-left: 20px\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"clearpath-lightbox-img alignnone wp-image-5112 size-full lazyload\" title=\"clearpath-lightbox-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/06\/co2-dac-iceland.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"285\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/285;\"><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the combo of geothermal and DAC is being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/worlds-largest-carbon-capture-plant-opens-iceland-180978620\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">used in Iceland<\/a>, where Climeworks\u2019 Orca plant has been removing CO<sub>2<\/sub> from the atmosphere since 2021. Its system of fans, filters, and heaters are all powered by geothermal energy, and plans are underway to expand across the globe everywhere from Scotland to Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the U.S. market continues to take shape, recognizing the complementary nature of these technologies and their massive potential is producing a true \u2018win-win\u2019 for decarbonization. Not only will innovations in geothermal power allow for reliable, affordable, firm electricity generation, but when paired with energy intensive DAC projects, the impact will not just be \u2018carbon neutral\u2019 but could, in fact, be \u2018carbon negative,\u2019 offsetting past historical emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This latest announcement is illustrative of the types of technological innovations that will be needed for the U.S. and the world to effectively decarbonize the economy in the future. Addressing climate change will necessitate an \u2018all of the above\u2019 approach to not only limit future emissions from reaching the atmosphere by expanding the use of technologies like hydropower, nuclear, geothermal, and renewables, but will also require cleaning up the current atmosphere. Continuing to prioritize support for innovative technologies like EGS and DAC and pairing these industries is not only promising for reducing emissions, but could also usher in a whole new innovative industry segment with global potential.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier this year, Houston-based geothermal energy developer Fervo announced an important new project to use its next-generation geothermal systems to power a direct air capture (DAC) facility. The announcement marks another milestone in the path towards a decarbonized economy and the expanded use of both geothermal and DAC technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":35527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"wds_primary_category":19,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[15,29],"class_list":["post-35532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-take","tag-carbon-capture","tag-direct-air-capture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}