It's Hot in West Virginia: Researchers Discover 1,450 Geothermal Wells
Researchers at Southern Methodist University have collected data that reveals the state of West Virginia as the largest geothermal hot spot in the eastern United States.
In a project funded by Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), SMU analyzed temperature data from drilling operations by oil and gas firms to update a Geothermal Map it originally created in 2004. Relative to the original map's four data points, the new findings were surprising, discovering 1,450 geothermal wells at depths of two to five miles with temperatures as warm as 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Geothermal energy will likely have a hard time competing with utilities in coal rich West Virginia but exporting electricity is an option experts are weighing in the wake of the startling findings.
"Nobody expected West Virginia to show up as a hot spot." SMU's Maria Richards, a geothermal expert and geographer.
Read the full article at the Washington Post: Researchers use drilling data to find a geothermal hot spot in West Virginia
Image Credit: dougstone via flickr
Learn more about Geothermal Power on eBoom's Geothermal Energy Learning Page.
Joseph Baker is a freelance writer living in Vancouver BC. His areas of focus include renewable energy, sustainability and climate change.
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