Though the bulk of our renewable energy practice is spent on the more conventional forms of renewable energy, we are well-positioned to aid those clients operating in emerging fields of renewable energy production. Geothermal energy, for example, which accounts for less than half a percent of the energy used in the United States, has the potential to reshape the energy sector.  When we think of geothermal energy production, we often think of states with geothermal activity. California leads the nation in geothermal energy production because of its significant geothermal resources. “The Geysers,” a geothermal field located in Northern California, is one of the world’s largest geothermal power production sites and has been producing geothermal energy since the early 1960s. However, technological advances have allowed geothermal energy companies to tap into previously untouched resources in California and around the country. 

Recent studies have shown that most of the population of the state of Texas lives above potentially useable geothermal resources, and the more than twenty start-ups in the State are actively testing ways to tap into these resources. Two to five miles beneath Texas’ surface the temperature is around 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to power geothermal plants. However, what makes Texas such an attractive location for geothermal companies, beyond a business-friendly environment, is the number of oil and gas wells drilled in the State and the infrastructure in place to support them. Geothermal companies can reenter plugged and abandoned wells to access geothermal resources, significantly decreasing exploration costs.

Not only are geothermal companies able to utilize the existing physical infrastructure created by the Texas oil and gas industry, but they can also utilize the legal resources born out of the country’s most prolific oil and gas-producing state. For years, RR&A has been researching and opining on surface and subsurface ownership rights, negotiating and drafting surface and subsurface instruments, and conducting due diligence on energy-producing assets. As geothermal energy production grows in California and emerges in Texas utilizing the same ethos as the Texas geothermal energy start-ups, RR&A is well-positioned to draw on our knowledge and experience gained from years of oil and gas, solar power and wind energy production to assist geothermal energy companies in developing their project.

So, whether you are developing your next solar project or planning your first geothermal one, RR&A has the resources, experience, expertise, and forward-thinking ethos to guide you from start to finish. Contact Eric Dean to ensure success for your next renewable energy project.