National Geothermal Data System: DOE Geothermal Data Repository

What information can the National Geothermal Data System, particularly DOE's geothermal data within it, hope to provide? Deloitte LLP stated that while there have been a series of attempts at, and plans for, organizing existing data on geothermal resources in the U.S. and specifically across the western states, the accuracy, reliability, and general availability of the information remains disjointed, haphazard, or unavailable. As with any investment decision, the supply of demonstrated data from the field reduces uncertainty and increases investor confidence. Based on numerous interviews and research, in addition to limited access to transmission infrastructure, the lack of availability of reliable and accurate resource data and information is a critical deterrent to potential geothermal investors (Deloitte LLP, 2008¹). Various studies have shown that data exist but can be difficult to find and are certainly not available from one national data source. Though not currently available in a data system, public records include many information attributes on geothermal resources that are extremely beneficial for use by developers, such as temperature at depths, fractures, seismicity and microseismicity, hydropressure, deep drilling data, and permeability data. In order to help solve this problem, DOE's Geothermal Technologies Program has developed a plan, secured funds, and is supporting the development of the National Geothermal Data System to supply data to the public through a web application that will encourage investors, developers, researchers, educators, regulators, and interested members of the public to access the information generated from U.S. DOE investments in geothermal research, development and demonstration efforts, as well as other public and private sources of geothermal information. For example, the University of Nevada-Reno currently stores data that layers various sources of information to determine favorability of sites in the Great Basin; this valuable information, in turn is being uploaded to the NGDS under a subcontract to the Boise State University and the Arizona Geological Survey. This paper describes plans for the National Geothermal Data System and the requirements for providing data to DOE's "node" on the National Geothermal Data System.