Strategies for Near-total Decarbonization of the Human Enterprise: Deep Hot Dry Rock (HDR) Geothermal and Hydrogen-based Integrated Energy Systems at Global Scales

Abstract

Our responsibility and enormous business opportunity ‐‐ as engineers, renewable energy businesses, and Earth citizens ‐‐ is nothing less than: •Near-total elimination of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the entire human enterprise •Transforming the world s largest industry from ∼ 85% fossil to ∼ 100% renewable, CO2-emission-free (CEF) energy sources, as quickly as we prudently and profitably can: ○Prudently: disrupting, but not destroying, human commerce and civilization; ○Profitable: very large capital required will only flow to investments of attractive reward - to - risk ratios •Conceiving, designing, and building a global energy system and economy which at once embraces and achieves these features: •Benign: CO2-emission-free (CEF), greenhouse gas (GHG) emission free •Relatively safe: acceptable risks in the spectrum of dangers, locally and globally •Inexhaustible •Affordable: competitive in price and cost ‐‐ including external costs •Baseload •Firm and dispatchable •Storage inherently free, low-cost, or unnecessary: in the case of deep hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal, leave the heat in the ground until needed •Resilient, when subjected to adverse acts of God and man •Cyberattack resistant: probably more so than the electricity grid is, or can be made to be •Unobtrusive infrastructure: mostly underground; aesthetically welcome •Equitable: rather free of monopoly potential, bringing quality energy to all •Nearly ubiquitous on Earth •Distributed: minimizing transmission and distribution infrastructure