Solar, Wind, and Thermal Storage in North-Central West Virginia

in North-Central West Virginia

Kevin B. Donnelly¹, Nagasree Garapati¹, Fernando Lima¹, Yingqi Zhang², Pierre Jeanne²

¹Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506.

² Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, 1 Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA 94720

The north-central region of West Virginia hosts unique geographic and geological opportunities for the development of integrated renewable energy systems with thermal storage. Currently, the state does not contain large-scale electricity facilities from solar power but does host several wind farms throughout the north-central region. Additionally, this region also demonstrates higher rates of heat flux than the surrounding Mid-Atlantic region. This work features the results of simulations done for wind and solar energy generation in the state and potential storage through a subsurface geothermal reservoir. Wind and solar power within West Virginia were simulated using System Advisor Model (SAM) from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Wind power production is validated by comparisons to current facilities in the state, while solar production is compared to a solar facility in Garrett County, Maryland. Power production data is utilized over the course of months for easier translation to the reservoir simulation. The subsurface reservoir was modeled using TOUGH2/EOS1, a program specifically developed to simulate coupled transport of water and heat in geothermal reservoirs. Reservoir behavior (pressure, temperature) over incremental years and decades of production time is analyzed. In order to achieve a more accurate pressure profile at well bores, a radial mesh is used around injection and production well bores in the simulations. The reservoir behavior is analyzed through temperature and pressure contour maps created at various time periods within the allotted timeframes. The preliminary results demonstrate the potential of such a system within the state, and the plan for future economic research is explored in this work.

Acknowledgment: This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. DOE's Office of EERE under the GTO, under Award Number DE-EE0008105.