by PegNews wire

Two-day overview of clean, renewable power source features spokesfolk from the oil and gas industry.

For the third straight year, Southern Methodist University is hosting a conference on the prospects for industrial-level utilization of geothermal energy as one alternative to the continued burning of ever-more-costly fossil fuels.

Conference sponsor Ormat provided this illustration to demonstrate the alchemy behind the conversion of hot water to electrical power.

Turns out one of the by-products of many drilling operations (in Texas and elsewhere) is plain ol' hot water, which - through the use of existing binary pump technology - could be harnessed and used to generate electricity, both to run the well head pumps and (if linked in sufficient quantity with other such pumps) send surplus power back into the grid. That equates to additional energy to outside users - just from the hot water that has heretofore been considered a nuisance by rig operators.

The conference is being held at the SMU Cox James M. Collins Executive Education Center, and runs from Tues., June 17 through Wed., June 18. Here are a list of the topics to be presented:

• Power Generation Technology Advancements

• Geothermal Resource Exploration and Assessment

• Reservoir Engineering

• Fracturing

• Geopressure Development

• Tight Gas Sands Development

• Enhanced Geothermal Systems - International

• Green Power for Utilities

• Renewable Energy Credits and Tax Incentives

• Economics and Business Plan

• Transmission needs

• Regulation Laws and Leasing

• Financing

• Demonstration Sites

posted by JM