Enel North America and partners receive DoE geothermal research grant

Published: 10-Nov-2008

By: Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

Enel North America along with its partners at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New England Research have been awarded funding totaling up to $1.02 million from the US Department of Energy under a grant opportunity for R&D and demonstration of enhanced geothermal systems.

The aim of the research is to apply geophysical techniques for reservoir and fracture characterization in Enel's North American projects, mainly at the Fort Cove-Sulfurdale geothermal field in Utah, with the goal of discovering more geothermal resources.

Geothermal is claimed to be a reliable source for generation by providing baseload capacity. There is reportedly 2,500MW of installed geothermal capacity in the US.

Toni Volpe, president and CEO of Enel North America, said: We are proud to have been selected by the Department of Energy (DoE) to conduct this important research that will increase knowledge and capability in this important aspect of sustainable energy.