NEW STRATEGIES TO ASSESS THE ELECTRIC-GRADE GEOTHERMAL ENERGY RESOURCES OF THE GREAT BASIN, USA (Invited Presentation)

Per Congressional mandate, the U.S. Geological Survey is instructed to update geothermal energy assessments whenever understanding and information grows sufficiently to substantially improve upon previous assessments. After more than a decade of systematic study of the geothermal resources of the Great Basin in the southwestern United States, new and improved datasets are coupled with modern data-driven analyses to refine the 2008 moderate- to high-temperature assessment of geothermal resources capable of producing electricity. In this presentation, strategies for construction of new maps of conventional hydrothermal and enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS) will be described, highlighting the value of new datasets and understanding towards new and improved assessments that are nearing completion.