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Geothermal Resource Variability To its advantage, geothermal resource utilization is not dependent upon intermittent forces, such as wind and solar energy. Rather it is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is considered baseload energy technology. Heat from within the Earth does not vary with day or season, but instead, on geologic time scales of millions of years. While long-term variations in climate can impact aquifer recharge rates, which in turn may change the availability of producing fluids, water already in the subsurface is usually reinjected into a connected reservoir to be reheated for eventual multiple production runs. As long as a balance is maintained between heat extraction and recharge, the resource has an infinite lifespan, thus being truly sustainable. Geothermal Energy Utilization Geothermal resources have been used in Texas for over a century. From the use of warm water for recreation and health spas to cooling and heating homes around the state, this is not a new resource. It is certainly under-developed when considering the possibility of 925 × 1021J as the starting resource base for Texas.39, 49 Education of the public and businesses is needed to accelerate the transfer of new technology and increase project funding for the use of geothermal resources in Texas. Current Geothermal Resource Use in Texas Geothermal HVAC Systems The Crawford Ranch of President George W. Bush is the most prominent Geothermal HVAC system in Texas. Based on geothermal heat pump sales in Texas for the past decade, there are approximately 10,000 residential systems installed. This equates to only a 0.004 percent energy offset (reduced electrical production) for Texas from Geothermal HVAC systems; for comparison, Florida’s offset is 0.23 percent.3 With a 30 to 70 percent energy savings, there is much potential for future energy savings from Geothermal HVAC systems. Most Texas systems have been installed since the 1980s, yet as shown by homeowners in the McAllen area residential systems have been installed for over 50 years and are still working.40 Although it is rare, there are systems that have been installed upfront by developers for entire neighborhoods, for example in the Valley Ranch subdivision in Irving, Texas in the 1980s.41 It is difficult to determine how many total systems have been installed since there is no single organization keeping records. There are some records for commercial buildings with Geothermal HVAC systems from engineering firms who installed the system, but this information is collected on a company by company basis. Older installations are usually not recorded or the company no longer exists. With the prestige of LEED certification, installing Geothermal HVAC systems is becoming increasingly common. Under the LEED criteria a Geothermal HVAC system can add up to 19 points and be the difference between Silver, Gold or Platinum LEED Certification. Completed in 2006, the McKinney Green Building (McKinney, Texas) is an example of the first Platinum commercial office structure in Texas, and it uses a Geothermal HVAC system. School districts are likely to use the SECO LoanSTAR program for Geothermal HVAC systems. Because of the LoanSTAR program there is more available information on schools with installations. Cotulla High School is the first Texas school to use geothermal for heating of its 10 campus buildings, and the Austin Independent School District was the first heating and cooling installation in the state of Texas. At present there are at least 34 school districts and 140 schools in Texas with Geothermal HVAC systems installed. Direct Use Applications Geothermal Direct Use applications are often considered the “buried treasure” since many of the uses are in private ownership or only locally known. Usually the only person who knows that a geothermal resource is in use is the mechanical staff. The best known example in Texas is a project that started in the 1970s as geothermal well developed in Marlin, Texas for heating the Falls Community Hospital & Clinic.42 This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Advisory Council and the Farmers Home Administration with the objective to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using a geothermal resource to meet the hospital’s space heating and water heating needs. Since 1982, the facility has used the 3,900 ft (1.2 km) deep well, yielding 600 gallons of water per minute from the Hosston Sands aquifer, with temperatures from 140 to 155°F (60—68°C). The water is used directly in the summer for the hot water needs and in the winter months to heat the hospital with a secondary use of preheating the hot water. One of the more common applications of Direct Use wells in Texas has been for spa facilities. Spa facilities can range from hi-end destination locations to user-friendly community bath house facilities. Although there have been tens of geothermal wells and mineral springs used for such purposes in Texas, currently the only existing hot springs destination is in West Texas at Chianti Hot Springs with over 80,000 visitors annually.8 In the past geothermal artesian wells flow steadily from sources in Marlin, Ottine, and San Antonio, Texas. Marlin received over 500,000 visitors to their spas from the early 1900s through 1950s with well water temperatures at 130°F (54°C). Texas Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Geothermal Energy 7-11PDF Image | GEOTHERMAL ENERGY Texas
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