(GP/GT) for Additional Water Supply in the Lower Rio Grande

HYDROTHERMAL-GEOTHERMAL DEVELOPMENTS
Various developments have been accomplished using hydrothermal
resources for power production, industrial applications, processing,
aquaculture/agriculture, heating and cooling, resort, and spa use.
Direct use technologies have been proven to be technically and
economically sound, with 45 states having experienced significant
geothermal direct use development in the last 10 years. The total
installed direct use capacity is 7.2 billion Btu/h (2100 MWt), with an
annual energy use of over 18,000 billion Btu/y (5 million bbl of oil
energy equivalent). The significant increase in the use of hydrothermal
energy for direct uses, especially since 1970, is displayed graphically
in Figure 4 (Lienau, 1990). The rapid growth after 1970 is primarily
caused by the oil price shocks of the 1970s and resultant Department Of
Energy development assistance programs. These same programs have
resulted in technical expertise being available to apply the technologies
developed for hydrothermal energy toward the energy found in geopressured
resources. The principal sources of technical expertise are available at
the Oregon Institute of Technology Geo-Heat Center in Klamath Falls,
Oregon, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho,
State energy offices, and from an infrastructure of developers,
designers, and builders located throughout the United States.
Cascading of geothermal energy for numerous applications is more
commonly practiced in nations other than in the U.S. For example, a
geothermal power plant operated by Ente Nazionale per l'Energia Elettrica
(ENEL), near Piancastagnaio, Italy, utilizes the waste heat industrially
to provide additional employment in the region. A greenhouse complex
that employs up to 500 people and a drying facility that employs up to
160 persons is being developed. Neither the greenhouse nor the drying
facility would be profitable using fossil fuel for energy (Lund, 1987).
Another direct use application is located north of Tianjin, China,
where 97°C fluids are effectively being used in cascaded farm operations
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