The energy crunch solution
may sound complex, but
it’s Just a lot of...
Hot air
By DARLENE GORE
Of the Emerald
Hot air seems cheap enough, especially
in an election year
But when it gets mixed up with the energy
crunch, the price tag soars. Oil companies
and public utilities will spend millions of dol
lars m Oregon to transform the heat of un
derground rocks, water and steam into
geothermal energy.
The state contains a small army of scien
tists and engineers who think Oregon s
rocks can be milked for electrical energy.
The scene resembles a latter-day gold
rush, except most of the scientists pick up
paychecks from companies like Gulf Oil,
Chevron Oil and Burbank Utilities. The
companies may collect a big pay-off if some
way can be found to easily convert the
earth's heat into home heating and electric
ity.
Scientists have known about geothermal
energy for hundreds of years. Developing it
is the hard part Each hot spot seems to
require a different technique to recover the
energy and the actual value of the area is
only guess work until a hole is drilled.
The risk is worth it for many companies.
"More heat energy lies within one mile of
the surface in southwest Oregon than in all
of American's oil fields," says Dick Bowen,
state economic geologist.
"Of course we can't recover all of that.
But even if we could tap a thousandth of it, it
would be significant—something on the
order of the North Slope of Alaska."
A good borehole will produce tempera
tures of about 318o F at depths of 9,000 to
14,000 feet, according to Gunnar Bodvars
son, a geophysicist at Oregon State Uni
versity.
That heat is brought to the surface in
three ways, depending upon the local rock
formations. Hot water trapped underground
can be pumped up for direct use in a simple
heating element or for power to turn electri
cal generators.
In a “dry hole exchange,' cold water is
forced down to hot rocks and pumped up to
the surface again. This process requires a
ready supply of water and some conflicts
have occurred between energy developers
and farmers who claim the water for agricul
tural uses
Another heat-recovery process uses un
derground steam. Steam is harder to find,
but it can be used directly to turn
generators.
Klamath Falls sits on a hot spring belt
which provides heat for more than 500
homes, schools and businesses. A city or
dinance says that no hot water may be re
moved from the spring, so a heat exchange,
pipe-within-a-pipe system has developed.
Hot water circulates through cold water and
then is pumped back underground. The
newly heated water may warm a house,
provide a bath or pasteurize milk.
Underground water brings almost cost
free heating to Klamath Falls. Residents
can keep their homes warm for about three
cents a day if they have a geothermal well.
The cost of drilling a well is high, about
$10,000, encouraging families to share
heat systems.
Seven schools, including the Oregon In
stitute of Technology (OIT) where geoth
ermal research is conducted, use under
ground heat. The OIT heating bill went from
$94,000 to $8,000 after thermal energy was
introduced in 1974, according to the
Eugene Register-Guard.
The school is outside of the city limits and
is not bound by the spring preservation or
dinance. It pumps hot water directly through
its system and dumps it into a nearby lake.
The city keeps roads and sidewalks free
of snow with hot water pp es laid under the
pavement.
This heat exchange system is fine for
areas that sit on top of a geothermal site,
but none of Oregon's large cities are near
the hot rocks. Large-scale production of
electricity must wait until engineers can find
ways to recover the heat.
As the technology develops, it gets less
predictable. That’s where the oil companies
and public utilities come in.
Big companies with big money move in to
speculate on the unproved resource. Each
borehole costs about $250,000 according
to Hal Worcester, Eugene Water and Elec
tric Board (EWEB) engineer. Much plan
ning must go into a project that could be
abandoned later.
Public utilities have started exploration
on their own because they're reluctant to
depend on oil companies for another
source of energy. EWEB has joined other
utilities to form the Raft River Electric
Cooperative in eastern Idaho. The coopera
tive makes use of the hot rocks that lie
Dravwng by JoAnn FahJgrer
beneath large areas of Oregon, California,
Nevada and Idaho.
The Raft River project has two wells
under production and three more planned.
The system will be a "closed cycle," with
hot water moving from one well to another.
The self-contained system reduces mineral
and heat pollution.
Worcester, chairman of the cooperative
committee, says the area looks very prom
ising. If the wells prove to be good, he thinks
they could provide 40,000 megawatt years
of electricity. Eugene will use about 22
megawatt years in 1976.
Worcester says the city might get its first
geothermal energy in 1985, but he's cauti
ous about setting a date. Any speculation is
“just a wild guess," he says.
Developers are suffering from uncer
tainty as they move into a new field. Ideas
are still new and unproved. Geologists
doubt that underground heat can be used
up—but they aren't sure. State officials
want to promise companies at least 30
years of production to make their invest
ments worthwhile—but they aren’t sure
either.
There is one certainty in the business;
electric bills won't drop when geothermal
energy reaches Eugene. Hot air is free but
technology is not. Worcester cites labor,
machinery and environmental costs as fac
tors that will keep electricity expensive.
THE MONDAY
CONCERT CLEAR
LIGHT ENSEMBLE
JAZZ SEXTET
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you realty can t come
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130422
CHINATOWN
JACK NICHOLSON
FAYE DUNAWAY
DIRECTED: ROMAN POLANSKI
Color, 1974
Los Angeles. 1920 s Private Dectective Nicholson
becomes involved with Dunaway when trapped in a
web of high level corruption
Sunday, Feb 1—4:30, 7, 9:30 & 12
Monday Feb 2—7 & 9:30
177 Lawrence Si ODA. Students tor Udall
Avoid crowds, attend early showings 2
Oregon Daily Emerald
ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6
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8HWOLA
in the EMU Ballroom
Music begns at 8 p.m
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13038:6
[ PERSONAL J
DO YOU HAVE A GREAT photograph or drawng’
The Oregana yearbook staff is considering unpub
lished, original photography and artwork for the
1976 Oregona No pay. but offer a credit bne for all
pubbshed art work Oregana. Room M-111 EMU or
phone 686-4305 for more information 13010.3
DANCE TECHNIQUE and IMPROVISATION
class Thursday eves Centered expressive flow
4264 5
GLEN OZONEWOOO PRESENTS
LIVE DEAD
and
JERRY GARCIA REFLECTIONS
KWAX-II 91.1 FM
Tonl^it midnight to two
Recordable
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SPEND SPRING AT THE COAST
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN INTERDISCIPLI
NARY HELD WORK?
The MAN AND THE OREGON COAST PROG
RAM is now accepting appfccatons tor its spnng
term mere*scpbnary program Students trom any
academic disci pine may spend Spnng term at the
Oregon Institute ot Marne Bdogy in Charleston.
Oregon, and take classes in Geography.
Landscape Architecture. Urban Planning. Political
Science, Economics, English and Biology Stu
dents will study problems and issues involving the
Oregon Coast through classes and extensive indi
vidual protects with stall Intormational slide shows
are p tanned lor
MONDAY. FEBRUARY 2—7 P.M. EMU
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11—7 P.M. EMU
Come meet the taculty and lormer student particip
ants Full University credit available Applications
and information available m RM 206 Science III
Applications due February 20. 1976 13049:2.11
MONKEY: WILL YOU be our Honey Chile tonight’
Here s to 21! —Always 7 Squeezes 4393 2
WANT TO HELP THE WORLD? Conscientious
people who believe in God, Interested in helping
the world are needed Call 687-8737 between 6
and 9 p.m, 4183:6
SEAMSTRESS WILL SEW your patterns, custom
fitting, designng, alterations. 344-8948 4386 6
HAMILTON STAINED GLASS
Complete supplies tor stained glass at reasonable
prices Good selection of glass n stock now
4tti and High, Eugene
485-8650
12332MWF
MY DARLING K ARYN. I love you with every rich ot
my beng and fiber of my soul Forever and a Day.
Your Lenny 4388 2
EDDIE CHANG'S TAI CHI'ERS. Call 343 7893
NOW 4389:2
LETS GET TOGETHER
SEARCH Alternative Education needs 80 good in
structors for Spring Term If you can share skills in
areas from Tai Chi. Toymaking, and Outdoor Survi
val. to Nutntion and Low Energy Lifestyles, come in
and Turn Us On.
Suite I, EMU. Deadline March 1.
13046:11
U o» O CRISIS CENTER is open every night from 5
p m to 8 a m to help you with any problem Strict
ly confidential 686-4488 1 2060:m
ANYONE INTERESTED m Christian Science is in
vited to talk with the Christian Science Campus
Counselor between 11 a m. and 3 p.m Monday m
the EMU Room number to be posted 12883 m
MERI GOOO LUCK this week AX means alot
Lowe. IA 4400 2
MARY ENGEL: After January 31st Georgia
Peaches are out of season—Butch is walng m the
cherry grovel The heat is on Jungtebunnyl! Ftsh
lips. Butt. Favors 4396 :2
AX O s FISHUPS— you say you want to be a sis
ter^ Go for 4! Love. Mom 4399:2
LANE MEMORIAL BLOOO BANK
Blood Donors Needed
A Positive 9 Units A Negative 1 Uni
O Posrtive 4 Units O Negative 3 Units
B Positive 1 Unit AB Positive 1 Unit
Call Lane Memonal Blood Bank. 484-9111. for an
appointment
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