Developing Untapped Potential: Geothermal and Ocean Power Technologies

Opening Statement By Chairman Nick Lampson

Good morning everyone and welcome to our hearing today on geothermal and ocean power technologies. We will be examining two bills:

H.R. 2304, the Advanced Geothermal Energy Research and Development Act of 2007 introduced by our colleague from California, Rep. McNerney, and H.R. 2313, the Marine Renewable Energy Research and Development Act of 2007 introduced by Rep. Hooley of Oregon.

Each of these bills is designed to accelerate the development of a specific renewable energy resource that: has great potential as a source of clean power generation, is vast in size, and is currently receiving little R&D attention or support.

In other words, these bills are about addressing overlooked opportunities in our collective efforts to create good American jobs, diversify our energy supply, increase our security, and reduce the environmental impact of energy production.

For decades, the United States has tapped geothermal energy for heating applications and to produce clean electric power. We know this resource works. But most geothermal development has occurred in locations where underground reservoirs of very hot water or steam – so called hydrothermal systems – have been shallow and easily identifiable from the surface. Unfortunately, since obvious surface manifestations of geothermal energy do not occur in very many places, geothermal is often thought of as a marginal resource – not one that can play a major role in our power generation portfolio across the nation.

This view is inaccurate. In actuality, the obvious locations barely scratch the surface of the total geothermal potential underneath the United States. By investing in advanced technologies for exploration and development, we can learn how to identify hidden resources that have no surface manifestations, and even learn to create new resources in hot rock where no natural reservoir or fluid exists. In doing so, we have the potential to dramatically expand our geothermal energy reserves.

In addition to being clean, domestic, and renewable, geothermal energy flows in an uninterrupted stream, making it great for baseload power production. And the amount of energy stored in the earth’s crust is enormous. A recent report by an MIT-led panel of experts estimated that, with a comparatively modest investment in technology development, as much as 200,000 “quads” of geothermal energy could become commercially accessible – an amount equal to 2,000 times the total energy consumed in the U.S. each year.

Marine renewable energy technologies are designed to harness the power contained in ocean waves, flowing tides, ocean currents, and ocean thermal gradients. The theoretical potential of these resources has been debated for years, but now marine renewables appear poised on the verge of a breakthrough. Countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Portugal are investing heavily in technologies to tap the ocean’s energy potential and will soon hook the first commercial projects into their power grids.

In 2005, the Electric Power Research Institute completed a series of preliminary studies to quantify the wave and tidal resources in U.S. coastal waters. They found that the size of just one of these resources – waves – is big enough to provide as much electric power as all of the hydroelectric dams currently operating in the United States – almost 7% of our nation’s electricity in 2005. When other marine energy resources are added to the mix, the potential becomes truly significant.

The title of this hearing says it all: Developing Untapped Potential. We owe it to current and future generations to develop our ability to tap the vast potential of geothermal and ocean energy. Doing so will increase our security, foster competitive new American industries, and ensure that energy production of the future is compatible with the highest standards of environmental stewardship. This is the purpose behind H.R. 2304 and H.R. 2313.

Witnesses

Panel

1 - Dr. Jefferson Tester
HP Meissner Professor of Chemical Engineering Massachusetts Instiute of Technology Massachusetts Instiute of Technology
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2 - Mr. Paul Thomsen
Public Policy Manager Ormat Technologies Ormat Technologies
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3 - Dr. Annette von Jouanne
Professor of Power Electronics and Energy Systems School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Oregon State University School of Electrical Engineering
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4 - Mr. Sean O'Neill
President Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition
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5 - Mr. Nathaniel Greene
Senior Energy Policy Specialist Natural Resources Defense Council Natural Resources Defense Council
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