New Mexico Energy Conservation andManagement Division

Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department1220 South St. Francis Drive • Santa Fe, NM 87505

(505) 476-3310 • FAX (505) 476-3322

www.CleanEnergyNM.org

NEW MEXICO’SGEOTHERMAL ENERGY

RESOURCE

NEW MEXICO’SGEOTHERMAL ENERGY

RESOURCE

Direct from the Earth!

ENERGY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT DIVISION MISSION

The Energy Conservation and Management Division develops

and implements effective clean energy programs – renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation,

clean fuels and efficient transportation – to promote environmental and

economic sustainability for New Mexico and its citizens.

2009

CLEAN, RELIABLE ENERGY - 24/7

CLEAN, RELIABLE ENERGY - 24/7

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY PROGRAM MISSION The Energy Conservation and ManagementDivision (ECMD) serves as the state

liaison to the U.S. Department of Energy geothermalprogram and coordinates the New Mexico GeothermalEnergy Working Group. ECMD disseminates informationon geothermal resources, development and incentives,and monitors geothermal development activities to promote environmental and economic sustainability for New Mexico and its citizens.

TAX CREDIT INCENTIVESThere are substantial personal and corporate federaltax credit incentives for the installation of groundsource heat pump systems and for the production ofelectricity from geothermal power plants. For example, a residential heat pump system can qualify for a personal income tax credit of 30% of the system cost. Formore information and a comprehensive list of tax credits,see the Database of State Incentives for Renewables andEfficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/

GEOTHERMAL PROGRAMCONTACT AND LINKS Energy Conservation and Management Division1220 South Saint Francis Drive • Santa Fe, NM 87505(505) 476-3310

State of New Mexico Geothermal Program: From http://www.CleanEnergyNM.org/Navigate to – Renewable Energy then to Geothermal Energy

Or go to –http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ECMD/RenewableEnergy/geothermal.htm

U. S. Department of Energy Geothermal Program:http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/

This brochure made possible by a grant from the U. S. Department of Energy.

deliver heat to residential and commercial buildings,greenhouses, fish farms, dairy operations, crop dryingfacilities, and other agricultural and industrial facilities.

Geothermal electricity production uses wells to tap medium to high temperature geothermal

reservoirs at temperaturesgenerally starting as low as194°F. A power plant withheat exchangers, conventionalsteam turbines and generatorsproduces electricity with virtually no carbon dioxidegreenhouse gas emissionsassociated with the energysource.

In many locations in New Mexico, geothermal energy iscost-effective for heating large spaces such as greenhouses.New Mexico leads the nation in acres of geothermally-heated commercial greenhouses.

“We have 16 acres of greenhouses growing blooming plants. Adirect use geothermal system supplies all the heat we need torun the operation year round. Our operation is experiencingsubstantial savings over propane or natural gas, and presentsan example of what can be done with this renewable resource.”

- Alex Masson, Masson Farms, Radium Springs, NM

WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?

Geothermal energy is heat that lies beneath the surface of the earth. It is a clean, abundant,continuously available renewable energy resource.New Mexico has vast geothermal energy resources.

High temperature geothermal energy is tappedfrom reservoirs of hot water, steam, and hot rock.Also, the constant temperature just below thesurface of the ground serves as a thermal reservoirthat is accessed by conventional trenching ordrilling methods.

In areas where natural gas is unavailable, home owners and businesses findthat ground source heat pumps provide economical domestic hot water, andcomfortable space heating and cooling.

“We constructed our new home near Abiquiu, where only expensive propane for heating and electricity for cooling are available. Our investment in an efficientgeothermal heat pump system provides us with both heating and cooling capabilities year round. The high efficiency renewable energy system we installedrequires minimal maintenance and will pay for itself in approximately ten years.”

- Mark and Gina Bibeault, Abiquiu, NM

Geothermal resources provide one of the cleanest andmost dependable sources of electricity. Geothermalplants provide electricity 95% of the time. This exceedsconventional coal and nuclear plant capacity factors of74% and 92%, respectively. New Mexico has a near-termpotential for geothermal power generation of 80 MW,and an estimated resource of 350 MW.

“Geothermal resource potential exists in all areas of New Mexico for base load power using new technologiessuch as enhanced or engineered geothermal reservoir technology.”

- Jim Witcher, Witcher and Associates Learn more about the Masson Farms geothermal operation and the Bibeaults’ geothermal heat pump system at www.CleanEnergyNM.org.

Ground source heat pumpsuse the ground as a heatexchange reservoir to efficiently supply spaceheating and cooling, anddomestic hot water tohomes and businesses. Atshallow depths typicallyover five feet, the ground temperature is nearly constant, at 50° to 60°F. Heat pump systems with buriedheat exchanger piping draw heat from the ground duringthe winter and reject heat to the ground during the summer.

Direct use of geothermal energy involves drilling a wellinto a geothermal reservoir to provide a steady stream ofhot water. Piping, pumps, heat exchangers and controls

WHY USE GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?

Mark in the Bibeaults’ ground source heat pump utility room

Harvesting roses at a Masson Farms geothermal greenhouse

Tilapia fingerlings raised using New Mexico geothermal energy

Geothermal power plant, Salton Sea geothermal resource area

Ground Loop Heat Exchanger

Air Distribution Ductwork

Heat Pump

Residential Ground Source Heat Pump System

HOW IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY USED?