§17195 Geothermal energy production from oil and gas fields and recovery and production of geopressured gas resources

Summary

Create a program to research, test, and help bring to market ways to get geothermal energy from oil and gas fields and to get energy from geopressured resources. The Secretary must run a grant program for geothermal work in oil and gas fields. The program must include at least three demonstration projects using technologies like advanced organic Rankine cycle systems at marginal, unproductive, and productive wells. When possible and in the public interest, each project should cover at least five well sites, use hot water between 150 degrees Fahrenheit and 300 degrees Fahrenheit, be up to one megawatt, be at varied locations and be repeatable, help compare different techniques, and include plans for mass production and wide support. Each grant must fund site engineering, economic and feasibility studies, design or adaptation of equipment, installation, at least 1 year of operation with monitoring, and validation and documentation of lessons learned. The Secretary must also run a program to develop cost-effective ways to produce energy from geopressured resources. The Secretary will request preliminary engineering designs, then award grants (which may be cost-shared) to finish detailed plans, and then award cost-shared construction grants for demonstrations that look economically promising for recovering heat, kinetic energy, and gas. At least 90 days after December 19, 2007, the Secretary must hold a national call for grant applications and pick winners competitively. No funds may be used to drill new wells.