Description
In California and Nevada, geothermal projects are subject to non-technical barriers, which may create development delays leading to higher project costs and risks and decreased competitiveness with other electricity generation technologies. These non-technical barriers may include federal and state permits, authorizations, environmental reviews, and other regulatory requirements that are applicable throughout different phases of geothermal project development. The 2022 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report, "Non-Technical Barriers to Geothermal Development in California and Nevada" presents findings of a study on non-technical barriers that may influence geothermal project development. The set of data resources relied upon for the report includes: 1) interviews conducted with relevant geothermal stakeholders including regulators and project developers, 2) federal and state environmental review documents developed for specific projects, 3) a techno-economic analysis conducted using the NREL Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework, and 4) an analysis of the impacts of site-specific land access and permitting considerations on project development readiness conducted using the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT) Socioeconomic Assessment Tool (SEAT).
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 GETEM_GTO - ATB - Final.xlsm | XLS | Application of the Geothermal Electricity Technology Evaluation Model (GETEM) / Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework analyzing the impacts of geothermal development timelines on the the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). | Open resource |
| 2021-ATB-Data_Master_10 years.xlsm | XLS | Application of the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework analyzing the impacts of geothermal development timelines on the the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a project development timeline interval of ten years. | Open resource |
| 2021-ATB-Data_Master_12 years.xlsm | XLS | Application of the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework analyzing the impacts of geothermal development timelines on the the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a project development timeline interval of twelve years. | Open resource |
| 2021-ATB-Data_Master_04 years.xlsm | XLS | Application of the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework analyzing the impacts of geothermal development timelines on the the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a project development timeline interval of four years. | Open resource |
| 2021-ATB-Data_Master_06 years.xlsm | XLS | Application of the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework analyzing the impacts of geothermal development timelines on the the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a project development timeline interval of six years. | Open resource |
| 2021-ATB-Data_Master_08 years.xlsm | XLS | Application of the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) framework analyzing the impacts of geothermal development timelines on the the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a project development timeline interval of eight years. | Open resource |
| Dixie Meadows Exploration Project_Final EA_BLM_2011.pdf | Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Dixie Meadows Geothermal Exploration Project completed in 2011. | Open resource | |
| Dixie Meadows Geothermal Utilization Project_Draft EA_BLM_2017.pdf | Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Dixie Meadows Geothermal Utilization Project completed in 2017. | Open resource | |
| Dixie Meadows Utilization Project_Final EA_BLM_2021.pdf | Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Dixie Meadows Geothermal Utilization Project completed in 2021. | Open resource | |
| East Brawley Geothermal Development Project_Final EIR_ICPDS_2012.pdf | Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) from the Imperial County Dept of Public Health for the East Brawley Geothermal Development Project completed in 2012. | Open resource | |
| GeoRePORT SEAT Analysis_Dixie Meadows Project.xlsb | Excel Binary Book | Application of the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT) Socioeconomic Assessment Tool (SEAT) to analyze the impacts of land access and permitting considerations on project readiness at the Dixie Meadows Project. | Open resource |
| GeoRePORT SEAT Analysis_East Brawley Project.xlsb | Excel Binary Book | Application of the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT) Socioeconomic Assessment Tool (SEAT) to analyze the impacts of land access and permitting considerations on project readiness at the East Brawley Project. | Open resource |
| GeoRePORT SEAT Analysis_Hudson Ranch II Project.xlsb | Excel Binary Book | Application of the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT) Socioeconomic Assessment Tool (SEAT) to analyze the impacts of land access and permitting considerations on project readiness at the Hudson Ranch II Project. | Open resource |
| GeoRePORT SEAT Analysis_Truckhaven Project.xlsb | Excel Binary Book | Application of the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT) Socioeconomic Assessment Tool (SEAT) to analyze the impacts of land access and permitting considerations on project readiness at the Truckhaven Project. | Open resource |
| GTO-NTB Stakeholder Interviews Summary.pptx | Powerpoint | Summary of interviews conducted by the Geothermal Technologies Office with geothermal project stakeholders used to gather information on non-technical barriers to geothermal project development in California and Nevada. Interviewees included federal, state, and local agencies responsible for permitting, resource protection, and environmental reviews as well as project developers. | Open resource |
| Hudson Ranch II Geothermal Project_Final EIR_ICPDS_2012.pdf | Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) from the Imperial County Dept of Public Health for the Hudson Ranch II Geothermal Project completed 2012. | Open resource | |
| Truckhaven Geothermal Exploration Project_Final EA_BLM_2019.pdf | Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Truckhaven Geothermal Exploration Well Project completed in 2019. | Open resource | |
| Truckhaven Geothermal Well Project_Final MND_ICPDS_2019.pdf | Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) from the Imperial County Dept of Public Health for the Truckhaven Geothermal Well Project completed 2019. | Open resource | |
| Non-Technical Barriers to Geothermal Development in California and Nevada Technical Report | The 2022 NREL Technical Report, "Non-Technical Barriers to Geothermal Development in California and Nevada" presents findings of a study on non-technical barriers that may influence geothermal project development timelines and costs. | Open resource |
Tags
- annual-technology-baseline
- atb
- authorizations
- barriers
- california
- churchill-county
- cost
- economic
- energy
- environmental
- environmental-review
- feasibility
- georeport
- geothermal
- imperial-county
- interviews
- lcoe
- nevada
- non-technical
- non-technical-barriers
- ntb
- permit
- processed-data
- regulatory
- salton-sea
- seat
- stakeholders