『The Geothermal Energy Podcast』のカバーアート

The Geothermal Energy Podcast

The Geothermal Energy Podcast

著者： Frank Lapinski
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 Interviewing the movers and shakers of geothermal! Episodes coming out soon (expect roughly 3 per month) We also publish a weekly newsletter that you can subscribe to here: https://geothermalweekly.substack.com/

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  • Tim Lines - CEO of Geothermal Wells, Geothermal Evangelist

    Tim Lines - CEO of Geothermal Wells, Geothermal Evangelist
    2025/09/12
    In this episode, we sit down with Tim Lines, a petroleum engineer turned geothermal advocate, whose career spans 40+ countries in oil & gas, district heating, and now geothermal innovation. We explore how he was drawn into the sector, the technical-economic feasibility of geothermal at scale, and his company’s work to advance projects in the UK and abroad.⏱️ Timestamps* 00:00 - Introduction, What led Tim to geothermal and why now? Exploration of future of geothermal energy* 7:08 - Breaking down more of the future of geothermal in Texas report* 12:30 - How are current technologies trying to solve the heat issues for drilling with geothermal? What can other geothermal developers learn?* 17:32 - Digging into different drilling fluids and which make more sense to use* 21:20 - How can we get better at processing and reducing errors in sensing data in the context of geothermal drilling?* 23:57 - European SPE Geothermal Energy Hackathon* 28:48 - How have your assumptions about geothermal energy changed as you’ve been involved in the field? Tim also discusses one of the projects he’s been working on in the UK and discusses the different partners and techniques he’s used to find success* 41:09 - Discussing how drilling and fracking has changed from the 90s to today* 46:05 - How can we keep pricing for geothermal competitive? What political and economic tools are available?* 52:40 - Examples of countries doing great jobs with feed in tariffs for geothermal* 59:28 - How can we work with local partners to create unique solutions to water problems for geothermal? (in this case, Tim worked with local municipalities to build a reservoir)* 1:07:03 - What are the challenges of bringing American drilling technologies abroad?* 1:10:52 - Who are the different segments of customers for geothermal projects? What are their differing needs?* 1:23:57 - What are the different challenges with customer discovery for geothermal? What tools are out there?* 1:28:56 - What are the challenges to getting different offtakers involved? How can we get them excited about geothermal?* 1:30:48 - How do American and international offtakers differ in needs?* 1:32:56 - How does your team source equipment and talent for geothermal development?* 1:39:17- What is the most important problem that, if we could solve it today, would totally change things?🎙 Why Geothermal, and Why Now?Tim explains how his journey into geothermal began with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and later deepened through Jamie Beard’s invitation to contribute to the Texas Geothermal Report. His rigorous bottom-up modeling compared geothermal’s potential against IEA forecasts—and revealed the resource could, technically, meet a large amount of global energy demand by 2050.You can read the newest IEA report on Geothermal Energy here.🔢 How Do You Calculate Geothermal’s Potential?Tim walks through his methods—reservoir assumptions, gradients, power conversion models, and capital cost estimates. Initially, he assumed ~3–4 MW per well pair. But projects like Fervo’s at Utah FORGE have since shown yields closer to 10 MW, with the potential for much higher.⚡️ Updating the Assumptions: From 3 MW to 25 MW+What would Tim change today? Higher well yields, multiple laterals around a single injector, and innovations in pumping to boost flow rates. He sees pathways toward 25+ MW per “well unit,” crucial for serving hyperscaler data centers and other industrial loads.NREL has also published tools (read more here and here) that helped him through this process.🛠 The Engineering Challenges of High-Temperature WellsWe dig into hurdles like:* MWD tools frying at 175–200°C and solutions like mud cooling.* High-temperature cement integrity in projects like Iceland’s magma drilling. * Fracture conductivity loss over time, requiring stronger proppants.💻 Hackathons and Engaging Young EngineersThrough SPE, Tim helped launch geothermal hackathons in Europe (newest one can be found here), blending data science and reservoir engineering. These programs brought students and young professionals worldwide into real geothermal problem-solving—creating a pipeline of new ideas and talent.🏗 Lessons from Looking GloballyTim reflects on how the broader global market looks for Geothermal Energy:* Early assumptions about rapid rollouts were optimistic.* The US remains tough, given cheap natural gas.* Focus has shifted to regions with feed-in tariffs/energy incentives (e.g., U.K.’s CfD, Germany’s Renewables Energy Act, Taiwan’s FITs, Japan’s Feed in Tariffs), effectively promising higher prices energy producers an above-market price and long term certainty and demand to help derisk renewable energy investments.* Heat networks are a powerful way to deliver low-cost social benefits—and attract municipal partners. Check out our episode with Eric Bosworth for more.💧 Water, Reservoirs, and Creative SolutionsSupplying enough water for fracking is...
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    1 時間 43 分
  • Eric Bosworth - Manager of Clean Technology at Eversource [Part 2]

    Eric Bosworth - Manager of Clean Technology at Eversource [Part 2]
    2025/05/15

    Hello folks,

    Welcome back to Part 2 of our conversation with Eric Bosworth (watch part 1 here).

    Eric is the Manager of Clean Technology at Eversource, his journey spanning oilfield engineering, utility infrastructure, and emerging decarbonization technologies. Currently, Eric leads efforts to pilot and scale alternatives to fossil gas - including hydrogen, carbon capture, and (most relevant) community-scale geothermal.

    He draws on field experience in oil and gas, system planning expertise from utility engineering, and a customer-first approach to identify and deploy the best-fit solutions across Eversource’s portfolio. Most notably, Eric led the development and execution of the Framingham geothermal pilot - one of the first utility-owned thermal energy networks in the United States.

    🧠 Highlights

    * Framingham's real-world data shows strong winter performance and customer satisfaction, even in extreme cold.

    * Scaling = viability: Networked geothermal shows falling marginal costs with larger customer bases.

    * Magic wand wish? Eric would create more drilling firms in the Northeast tomorrow; workforce gaps are the biggest blocker to scale.

    * Beyond boreholes: A future “thermal marketplace” could trade heat between buildings, pools, wastewater, and more.

    🔍 Where to Learn More

    * Project updates & background: eversource.com/geothermal

    * Find Eric on LinkedIn to connect and collaborate

    * Industry groups: Heat pump alliances, geothermal networks, utility decarbonization forums



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geothermalweekly.substack.com
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    37 分
  • [Part 1] Eric Bosworth - Manager of Clean Technology at Eversource

    [Part 1] Eric Bosworth - Manager of Clean Technology at Eversource
    2025/05/08
    Hi folks, We are back! This week, we’re bringing you part 1 of our conversation with Eric Bosworth!Eric is the Manager of Clean Technology at Eversource, his journey spanning oilfield engineering, utility infrastructure, and emerging decarbonization technologies. Currently, Eric leads efforts to pilot and scale alternatives to fossil gas - including hydrogen, carbon capture, and (most relevant) community-scale geothermal.He draws on field experience in oil and gas, system planning expertise from utility engineering, and a customer-first approach to identify and deploy the best-fit solutions across Eversource’s portfolio. Most notably, Eric led the development and execution of the Framingham geothermal pilot - one of the first utility-owned thermal energy networks in the United States.🧠 Highlights* Utility leadership in geothermal: Eversource demonstrates how utilities can leverage existing gas infrastructure expertise to deploy geothermal networks.* Framingham pilot as blueprint: A 140-customer, closed-loop system built within a mile-long loop highlights the viability of utility-owned thermal networks.* Permitting, community buy-in, and modeling: Success hinged on shallow bedrock, EJ-community alignment, and relentless community outreach paired with rigorous engineering modeling.🔧 Eric’s Journey into Geothermal* Started as a field engineer with an international oilfield services company Schlumberger (now SLB).* Transitioned back to the U.S., worked on gas engineering at Eversource.* Volunteered for clean tech efforts, leading Eversource's geothermal pilot.* Past drilling experience proved invaluable for utility-scale geothermal deployment.🏛 Role at Eversource: Clean Technology Strategy* Evaluates a suite of decarbonized solutions: geothermal, Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), hydrogen, carbon capture.* Applies a customer-centric framework to identify the right solution:* Geothermal fits for heating/cooling needs (residential, mixed-use, commercial).* Molecule-based solutions like hydrogen/RNG better suit high-heat industrial customers.🧪 Inside the Framingham Geothermal Pilot* 140 customers across 36 buildings in Framingham, MA.* Closed-loop system with 90 boreholes in a ~1-mile loop.* Launched via a 2019 gas rate case (a utility-regulator process to approve capital projects).Why Framingham?* Environmental Justice community - aligned with equity goals.* Shallow bedrock (~30 ft) - reduced casing costs and improved heat transfer.* Strong community partner - city support and diverse building mix (residential, commercial, housing authority).📊 Site Selection + Modeling Process* Screening: Load mix, street space, depth to bedrock, customer interest.* Test boreholes post-selection to verify thermal properties.* Thermal network design:* Borehole spacing (20-25 ft) and placement modeled for loop stability.* Minimized thermal drift across customers in the network loop.* Tools used (via external Professional Engineering firm):* Borefield performance simulators* Transient energy modeling for pipes* Building load analysis🏗 Construction & Bidding ExecutionBidding Strategy:* Split into 3 scopes:* Drilling* Loop infrastructure (high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe, mains, pump house)* Building conversion (heat pumps, ductwork, electrical)* Flexibility: Bidders could propose on full or partial scopes.* Winning bidder was a long-time gas pipeline contractor — installation process nearly identical to gas.Operations Notes:* Pipe used is standard HDPE, just black with “geothermal” instead of yellow gas striping.* General Contractor model used: prime contractor oversaw subcontractors for drilling, instrumentation, etc.📣 Customer Outreach StrategyChallenges:* Knocking on doors as a utility = skepticism.Strategy:* Repurposed internal sales and marketing team to act as geothermal outreach reps.* Delivered:* Multilingual fact sheets, door hangers, community meetings and engagement.* Check out our podcast with Jen Wakeland to learn more about how geothermal energy can engage well with local communities.* Hosted Q&As to build trust and clarity.* Leveraged city of Framingham as a key ally for legitimacy and communication.* You can also see their website here.📝 Permitting in Massachusetts* Closed-loop geothermal = low regulatory friction.* Approval via city council and conservation commission.* No extensive state or environmental hurdles.* Easier than other states like NY, which previously required mining permits for deep drilling.🛠 Lessons for Developers & Financiers* Utilities can deploy geothermal using existing gas pipeline teams - shared skillsets and tooling.* Shallow bedrock drastically reduces costs - site selection must prioritize geology.* Community trust must be earned - requires persistent, multi-channel communication.* Permitting varies widely by state - closed-loop systems often face fewer barriers.* Thermal network design is nontrivial - must model pipe loss, load variance, and peak ...
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    24 分
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