Distinctly Montana Magazine

MONTANA HAS AT LEAST Castle geyser in winter famous Fremont survey team discovered a vast area of furious, roiling steam emanating from cracks and caves in the ground. When surveyor William Bell hurried back from the sighting, he reported that he had found "the Gates of Hell." Today that 45-square-mile site, known as "The Geysers," is the larg- est geothermal energy project in the world. W While definitely not "hell," the earth's radioactive core produces enough energy to supply all of humankind's demands for millions, if not billions of years. The prob- lem is simply one of access and understanding, rather than availability. hile tracking a grizzly bear in northern Cali- fornia, a member of the 15 HIGH-TEMPERATURE SITES, A FEW OF THEM WITH ESTIMATED DEEP-RESERVOIR TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING 350 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. NPS PHOTO (2) Castle geyser ARE ALSO KNOWN AS: p Ground Source Heat Pumps p Geoexchange Heat Pumps p Earth-Coupled Heat Pumps p Earth Energy Heat Pumps p Water-Source Heat Pumps That's a lot of different names for one great technology! In Montana, most sources of geothermal (heat) energy are used as they were 10,000 years ago by Paleo-native tribes, as hot springs for bathing and win- ter warmth. After 100 centuries mankind is still using geothermal energy in mostly the "old-fash- ioned way," though some mod- ern adaptations can be found in horticulture and aquaculture, as well as in milk pasteurization and the drying of fruits, vegetables, and lumber. The most widespread use thus far is the heating of residential and busi- nesses with geothermal heat pumps, while large-scale, Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) developments remain few and far between. The nearest significant EGS operation to Montana is in Boise, Idaho, where the city created a geothermal heating district in 1983. No such EGS exists yet here in Montana, though the state reports that "Montana has at least 15 high-temper- ature sites, a few of them with estimated deep-reservoir temperatures exceeding 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Among these 15 sites are locations in the vicinity of Helena, Boze- man, Ennis, Butte, Boulder, and White Sulphur Springs." DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Warm up to geothermal energy in Yellowstone Park Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/geothermal114 (courtesy THB Energy Solutions) GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS www.distinctlymontana.com 55 200° C 150° C 100° C 200° C

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