US Air Force Awards Contract To Test Clean Power Plant Technology

This test well in Starr County, Texas, will be used to determine whether a power plant using geopressured geothermal systems can generate the clean energy needed for a base to achieve energy resilience (Image courtesy of the Department of the Air Force)

 

Geopressured Geothermal Systems Repurpose Fracking Technology To Extract Thermal Energy From Miles Below The Earth’s Surface

 

The Department of the Air Force awarded its first contract to determine whether a power plant using geopressured geothermal systems (GGS) can generate the clean energy needed for a base to achieve energy resilience. The contract awards Sage Geosystems, Inc. (Sage) a grant of US$1.9 million, which the company will match with its own funding, to develop a demonstration project at an off-site test well in Starr County, Texas, in 2025.

Unlike traditional geothermal techniques that rely on rare geological formations of hot water and steam that limit their use, GGS repurpose fracking technology to extract thermal energy from miles below the Earth’s surface. If successful, the demonstration could lead to a full-scale project at Ellington Field Joint Air Reserve Base in Houston, Texas, that would usher in a new era of clean power producing plants that meet the entire energy needs of installations in the DAF. Sage has been working with the University of Texas to develop its technology and study the geologic feasibility of a power plant at Ellington Field.

“This initial contract is a step forward in the Department of the Air Force’s push for energy resilience,” said Kirk Phillips, director of the Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA). The OEA is managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, a primary subordinate unit of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center. “If the demonstration proves successful, this project could help improve Ellington Field’s ability to maintain operations during electrical grid outages,” said Phillips. “The installation has the potential to be completely self-sufficient for its energy needs. This project, and the future projects it could pave the way for, could help ensure that national security needs are met by our installations during critical emergencies.”

With GGS, power plants can harvest not only the heat energy from the water in the fracture, but also the energy created by pressure as water is pumped into the fracture. Ellington Field’s 147th Attack Wing is eager to be the first to take advantage of the new technology.

“The wing is excited to demonstrate the first Geopressured Geothermal System in the Air Force,” said Lt. Col. Christian Campbell, commander of the 147th Civil Engineer Squadron. “To be 100% resilient and carbon free would be an amazing feat. For the 147th Attack Wing to be the baseline and showcase this amazing technology to the Department Of Defense, makes us proud.”