Abstract
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists sponsored a Hedberg Research Conference on Enhanced Geothermal Systems in Napa, California, March 18 to 23, 2011. The workshop was attended by 67 participants from 10 different countries: United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway. No large energy segment grows based on skill sets possessed by one or a few individuals alone. In the case of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS, also known as “engineered GS”), this was brought home to all participants through a set of posters and presentations on national and regional programs. A presentation by Bendall et al. representing the primary industries and resource agency of South Australia was very effective in conveying how to manage communication between and facilitation among the national research groups and dedicated geothermal research centers. David Blackwell's geothermal laboratory at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas serves a similar function in the United States. They conduct the dual responsibilities of basic research on the national U.S. heat-flow database and are heavily engaged in geothermal developments related to oil and gas production throughout the Gulf Coast region and elsewhere. The International Geothermal Center (GZB) in Bochum, Germany, is yet another model, as reported by Rolf Bracke and Volker Wittig. The state of North Rhine–Westphalia is investing in a coiled tube drilling rig for use by the GZB at Hochschule Bochum. The rig will drill a deep well on the university campus and fracture the rocks between multiple lateral wellbores. The resulting geothermal field will be developed to provide overall heating for the GZB and, if possible, for the rest of the university. The GZB is also charged with educating the public about the relative risks of subsurface engineering actions. For example, the public will be able to observe the relative seismic effects …
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