PUBLIC LAW 110–140—DEC. 19, 2007
121 STAT. 1679
SEC. 612. DEFINITIONS.
42 USC 17191.
For purposes of this subtitle: (1) ENGINEERED.—When referring to enhanced geothermal systems, the term ‘‘engineered’’ means subjected to intervention, including intervention to address one or more of the following issues: (A) Lack of effective permeability or porosity or open fracture connectivity within the reservoir. (B) Insufficient contained geofluid in the reservoir. (C) A low average geothermal gradient, which necessitates deeper drilling. (2) ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS.—The term ‘‘enhanced geothermal systems’’ means geothermal reservoir systems that are engineered, as opposed to occurring naturally. (3) GEOFLUID.—The term ‘‘geofluid’’ means any fluid used to extract thermal energy from the Earth which is transported to the surface for direct use or electric power generation, except that such term shall not include oil or natural gas. (4) GEOPRESSURED RESOURCES.—The term ‘‘geopressured resources’’ mean geothermal deposits found in sedimentary rocks under higher than normal pressure and saturated with gas or methane. (5) GEOTHERMAL.—The term ‘‘geothermal’’ refers to heat energy stored in the Earth’s crust that can be accessed for direct use or electric power generation. (6) HYDROTHERMAL.—The term ‘‘hydrothermal’’ refers to naturally occurring subsurface reservoirs of hot water or steam. (7) SYSTEMS APPROACH.—The term ‘‘systems approach’’ means an approach to solving problems or designing systems that attempts to optimize the performance of the overall system, rather than a particular component of the system. SEC. 613. HYDROTHERMAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
42 USC 17192.
dkrause on GSDDPC44 with PUBLAW
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support programs of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application to expand the use of geothermal energy production from hydrothermal systems, including the programs described in subsection (b). (b) PROGRAMS.— (1) ADVANCED HYDROTHERMAL RESOURCE TOOLS.—The Secretary, in consultation with other appropriate agencies, shall support a program to develop advanced geophysical, geochemical, and geologic tools to assist in locating hidden hydrothermal resources, and to increase the reliability of site characterization before, during, and after initial drilling. The program shall develop new prospecting techniques to assist in prioritization of targets for characterization. The program shall include a field component. (2) INDUSTRY COUPLED EXPLORATORY DRILLING.—The Secretary shall support a program of cost-shared field demonstration programs, to be pursued, simultaneously and independently, in collaboration with industry partners, for the demonstration of advanced technologies and techniques of siting and exploratory drilling for undiscovered resources in a variety of geologic settings. The program shall include incentives to encourage the use of advanced technologies and techniques.
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