42 U.S.C. § 17195a — Geothermal heat pumps and direct use

Page 8999 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 17195a § 17195. Geothermal energy production from oil and gas fields and recovery and production of geopressured gas resources (a) In general The Secretary shall establish a program of re- search, development, demonstration, and com- mercial application to support development of geothermal energy production from oil and gas fields and production and recovery of energy, in- cluding electricity, from geopressured resources. In addition, the Secretary shall conduct such supporting activities including research, re- source characterization, and technology devel- opment as necessary. (b) Geothermal energy production from oil and gas fields The Secretary shall implement a grant pro- gram in support of geothermal energy produc- tion from oil and gas fields. The program shall include grants for a total of not less than three demonstration projects of the use of geothermal techniques such as advanced organic rankine cycle systems at marginal, unproductive, and productive oil and gas wells. The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable and in the public interest, make awards that— (1) include not less than five oil or gas well sites per project award; (2) use a range of oil or gas well hot water source temperatures from 150 degrees Fahr- enheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit; (3) cover a range of sizes up to one mega- watt; (4) are located at a range of sites; (5) can be replicated at a wide range of sites; (6) facilitate identification of optimum tech- niques among competing alternatives; (7) include business commercialization plans that have the potential for production of equipment at high volumes and operation and support at a large number of sites; and (8) satisfy other criteria that the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out the pro- gram and collect necessary data and informa- tion. The Secretary shall give preference to assess- ments that address multiple elements contained in paragraphs (1) through (8). (c) Grant awards Each grant award for demonstration of geo- thermal technology such as advanced organic rankine cycle systems at oil and gas wells made by the Secretary under subsection (b) shall in- clude— (1) necessary and appropriate site engineer- ing study; (2) detailed economic assessment of site spe- cific conditions; (3) appropriate feasibility studies to deter- mine whether the demonstration can be rep- licated; (4) design or adaptation of existing tech- nology for site specific circumstances or con- ditions; (5) installation of equipment, service, and support; (6) operation for a minimum of 1 year and monitoring for the duration of the demonstra- tion; and (7) validation of technical and economic as- sumptions and documentation of lessons learned. (d) Geopressured gas resource recovery and pro- duction (1) The Secretary shall implement a program to support the research, development, dem- onstration, and commercial application of cost- effective techniques to produce energy from geopressured resources. (2) The Secretary shall solicit preliminary en- gineering designs for geopressured resources production and recovery facilities. (3) Based upon a review of the preliminary de- signs, the Secretary shall award grants, which may be cost-shared, to support the detailed de- velopment and completion of engineering, archi- tectural and technical plans needed to support construction of new designs. (4) Based upon a review of the final design plans above, the Secretary shall award cost- shared development and construction grants for demonstration geopressured production facili- ties that show potential for economic recovery of the heat, kinetic energy and gas resources from geopressured resources. (e) Competitive grant selection Not less than 90 days after December 19, 2007, the Secretary shall conduct a national solicita- tion for applications for grants under the pro- grams outlined in subsections (b) and (d). Grant recipients shall be selected on a competitive basis based on criteria in the respective sub- section. (f) Well drilling No funds may be used under this section for the purpose of drilling new wells. (Pub. L. 110–140, title VI, § 616, Dec. 19, 2007, 121 Stat. 1681.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140, set out as a note under section 1824 of Title 2, The Congress. § 17195a. Geothermal heat pumps and direct use research and development (a) Purposes The purposes of this section are— (1) to improve the understanding of related earth sciences, components, processes, and systems used for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy; and (2) to increase the energy efficiency, lower the cost, increase the use, and improve and demonstrate the effectiveness of geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy. (b) Definitions In this section: (1) Direct use of geothermal energy The term ‘‘direct use of geothermal energy’’ means geothermal systems that use water di- rectly or through a heat exchanger to pro- vide— Page 9000 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 17196 (A) heating and cooling to buildings, com- mercial districts, residential communities, and large municipal, or industrial projects; or (B) heat required for industrial processes, agriculture, aquaculture, and other facili- ties. (2) Economically distressed area The term ‘‘economically distressed area’’ means an area described in section 3161(a) of this title. (3) Geothermal heat pump The term ‘‘geothermal heat pump’’ means a system that provides heating and cooling by exchanging heat from shallow geology, groundwater, or surface water using— (A) a closed loop system, which transfers heat by way of buried or immersed pipes that contain a mix of water and working fluid; or (B) an open loop system, which circulates ground or surface water directly into the building and returns the water to the same aquifer or surface water source. (c) Program (1) In general The Secretary shall support within the Geo- thermal Technologies Office a program of re- search, development, and demonstration for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy. (2) Areas The program under paragraph (1) may in- clude research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of— (A) geothermal ground loop efficiency im- provements, cost reductions, and improved installation and operations methods; (B) the use of geothermal energy for build- ing-scale energy storage; (C) the use of geothermal energy as a grid management resource or seasonal energy storage; (D) geothermal heat pump efficiency im- provements; (E) the use of alternative fluids as a heat exchange medium, such as hot water found in mines and mine shafts, graywater, or other fluids that may improve the econom- ics of geothermal heat pumps; (F) heating of districts, neighborhoods, communities, large commercial or public buildings, and industrial and manufacturing facilities; (G) the use of low temperature ground- water for direct use; and (H) system integration of direct use with geothermal electricity production. (3) Environmental impacts In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall identify and mitigate potential environ- mental impacts in accordance with section 17193(b) of this title. (d) Financial assistance (1) In general The Secretary shall carry out the program established in subsection (c) by making finan- cial assistance available to State, local, and Tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofit entities, National Lab- oratories, utilities, and for-profit companies. (2) Priority In providing financial assistance under this subsection, the Secretary may give priority to proposals that apply to large buildings, com- mercial districts, and residential communities that are located in economically distressed areas and areas that the Secretary determines to have high economic potential for geo- thermal district heating based on the report, ‘‘Geovision: Harnessing the Heat Beneath our Feet’’ published by the Department in 2019, or a successor report. (Pub. L. 110–140, title VI, § 616A, as added Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title III, § 3002(e)(1), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2492.) § 17196. Organization and administration of pro- grams (a) Federal share The Federal share of costs of projects funded under this part shall be in accordance with sec- tion 16352 of this title. (b) Organization and administration of programs Programs under this part shall incorporate the following elements: (1) The Secretary shall coordinate with, and where appropriate may provide funds in fur- therance of the purposes of this part to, other Department of Energy research and develop- ment programs focused on drilling, subsurface characterization, and other related tech- nologies. (2) The Secretary shall coordinate and con- sult with the appropriate Federal land man- agement agencies in selecting proposals for funding under this part. (3) Nothing in this part shall be construed to alter or affect any law relating to the manage- ment or protection of Federal lands. (c) Education and outreach In carrying out the activities described in this part, the Secretary shall support education and outreach activities to disseminate information on geothermal energy technologies and the geo- thermal energy workforce, including activities at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy site or sites. (d) Technical assistance In carrying out this part, the Secretary shall also conduct technical assistance and analysis activities with eligible entities for the purpose of supporting the commercial application of ad- vances in geothermal energy systems develop- ment and operations, which may include activi- ties that support expanding access to advanced geothermal energy technologies for rural, Trib- al, and low-income communities. (e) Report Every 5 years after December 27, 2020, the Sec- retary shall report to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re- sources of the Senate on advanced concepts and