A project led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating the potential for repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells to produce geothermal energy that would power homes and businesses.
Lehigh University has received a US1.6mn to participate in the US$14mn US Department of Energy-funded pilot project, which sees DEP working in coordination with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey with partners including Gradient Geothermal Inc., Teverra Inc., Idaho National Laboratory, CNX Green Ventures, and Seequent, in addition to Lehigh University.
The pilot will use a deep existing unconventional Marcellus Shale gas well in Indiana County, Pennsylvania where the geology is favourable for tapping geothermal resources. The well is operated by CNX Green Ventures, an Appalachian oil and gas producer.
The goal is to generate one megawatt of electricity from the low-enthalpy, underperforming gas well, drawing heat from the well by circulating water at depth, and then bring the heated water to the surface. This would then will produce electricity for the local grid and supply heat to nearby homes and businesses.
“Pennsylvania’s conventional hydrocarbon industry, followed by the shale oil and gas revolution left behind a vast network of wells and related infrastructure ,” said Frank Pazzaglia, professor of Earth and environmental sciences in Lehigh’s College of Arts and Sciences and the principal investigator. “This project asks whether we can give that infrastructure a second life as a clean, renewable energy source.”
“Repurposing abandoned hydrocarbon wells for low-enthalpy geothermal mining represents an economic and environmental opportunity, transforming the methane-leaking liability into a predictable source of clean, local energy,” said Carlos Romero, professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics in the Rossin College and director of Lehigh’s Energy Research Center.
The project could also create opportunities for displaced oil, gas, and coal workers, as well as for the transfer of subsurface expertise to the geothermal industry. It is hoped that by extending the useful life of existing wells, the project will stimulate geothermal energy development, particularly in the eastern US where geothermal resources are more restricted than in the western US.
“The project is a chance to train the next generation of scientists and engineers while helping to show that geothermal energy can work in places many people wouldn’t expect,” Pazzaglia said.