Is energy produced from HDR a renewable resource?
The answer depends on the time scale used. While the temperature of the reservoir rocks will decline as heat is extracted from them over periods calculated to be around 15 to 20 years, the heat will be replenished after production ceases by heat conducted from the surrounding hot rocks. Current modeling suggests that HDR-driven generators in Australia will still be producing electricity at full load when the worlds known oil resources have been exhausted. This can be accomplished by drilling new wells, or sidetracking from, or deepening, existing wells into the adjacent hot rocks.
