Welcome to the new look of the Newberry Geothermal Energy blog!

12 Jan Welcome to the new look of the Newberry Geothermal Energy blog!

Newberry Geothermal Energy (NEWGEN) is a collaborative effort lead by a team of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Oregon State University and AltaRock Energy, Inc. Combining research, academic and industry experience, this dynamic group will push geothermal energy research forward at the Newberry Volcano Enhanced Geothermal Energy (EGS) field site. Newberry Geothermal Energy is funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) through a competitive grant process which provides staged funding opportunities over the next several years. Five initial teams and field sites were selected in early 2015 to kick-off the DOE Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) initiative, and the Newberry site is a strong contender amongst them.

The project is currently in Phase I of III and has received $400,000 in initial funding from the DOE FORGE initiative plus additional investments from partner institutions. Phase I will culminate in a conceptual geologic model detailing the geothermal resource at Newberry Volcano, and a final report and presentation to the DOE FORGE review committee in the spring of 2016. Together, the conceptual geologic model, report and presentation will articulate Newberry’s suitability as the nation’s FORGE site. The five competing groups in Phase I will be down-selected to a maximum of three groups which will continue to Phase II. Phase II will involve further site characterization, team building and planning, followed by down-selection to the final FORGE site which will continue into Phase III. Phase III will involve field site development, well drilling, reservoir stimulation and testing and other competitively funded research and development activities related to EGS.

If Newberry Geothermal Energy is selected as the final FORGE site, there will be significant economic benefits to Central Oregon, the state and the region as scientists and engineers from around the country and the world come to the community to do research. The NEWGEN site is just 28 miles from OSU-Cascades, Oregon State University’s branch campus in Bend, creating opportunities for faculty research, student internships and community engagement. Successful development of the Newberry site into a national laboratory for EGS research will support cutting-edge science and engineering dedicated to bringing geothermal energy online at competitive market rates across the country. The laboratory will also serve as a training site for those entering the sustainable energy workforce.

Eventually, research breakthroughs at FORGE will enable development of the massive geothermal resource on Newberry Volcano with the potential to create up to 300 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs. In addition, the State of Oregon and Deschutes County will benefit from royalty income generated by the project during Phase III. The technologies to be tested and developed at NEWGEN will be applicable across the many volcanic areas of the western US, opening them up to EGS technology and making a real difference to the national capacity for EGS power generation.

With a long history of investment and research at Newberry, the site is well-aligned with DOE FORGE goals and requirements. Previous research at Newberry has made significant progress in characterizing the geologic and thermal properties of the area and significantly improved our understanding of EGS development in volcanic terrains. The Newberry Geothermal Energy team is dedicated to improving the scientific understanding of EGS development, deployment and effective management to generate sustainable energy for the future.

We thank you for visiting and hope you’ll continue to support us in our efforts to bring A Research Observatory for a Sustainable Future to Central Oregon!