Campbell provided another of his earlier reports of possible interest, pursuant to his intent expressed in a recent publication (here). Campbell and Wielchowsky reported in 1982 that geothermal energy from liquid-dominated reservoirs located in the western United States may supply 20,000 MW from more than 40 power plants by the year 2,000, if utility management becomes convinced of the reliability and cost attractiveness of this energy resource. A number of exploration programs are in progress to evaluate the characteristics of this type of geothermal energy. For example, numerous exploration methods have been employed in Dixie Valley, Nevada, since 1967 with mixed results. However, with DOE support, additional data have recently become available.
Based on the new data, the authors have revised earlier structural models of the basin and have made recommendations for additional investigations that should clarify the geologic relationships within the reservoir. The principal geological and hydrogeological characteristics of the reservoir that may place limits on project economics appear to be the depth and area of producing zones, groundwater hydrochemistry, and the amenability of the upper zones to accept large volumes of waste fluids.
However, the authors concluded that reservoir temperature, flow rates, recharge characteristics and other factors appear to be acceptable either for electrical power production of more than 1,000 MWe, or for direct application such as on-site agricultural processing.
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