Skills
skills/jpfielding/claude.pnge/doe-geothermal

doe-geothermal

SKILL.md

DOE Geothermal Data Skill

Fetches and analyzes U.S. geothermal resource data from multiple DOE/NREL sources:

  1. OpenEI Geothermal Resource Areas -- Semantic MediaWiki API (432+ resource areas with coordinates, reservoir temperatures, capacities, and regional classifications)
  2. GDR (Geothermal Data Repository) -- DOE GTO-funded datasets (well logs, temperature profiles, resource assessments, co-production studies)
  3. NREL Geothermal Prospector -- Interactive maps and GIS layers for geothermal favorability

API Key Handling

OpenEI REST API (api.openei.org)

Resolution order (stop at first success):

  1. ~/.config/openei/credentials (default) -- parse api_key=<value> from this file
  2. OPENEI_API_KEY env var -- fallback if credentials file is absent
  3. User-provided in conversation -- fallback if neither above is set
  4. Prompt the user -- "Please provide your OpenEI API key. Get one free at https://openei.org/services/api/signup/ -- or store it in ~/.config/openei/credentials as api_key=YOUR_KEY (chmod 600)."

Never hardcode or log the key.

Reading the credentials file (bash):

KEY=$(grep '^api_key=' ~/.config/openei/credentials 2>/dev/null | cut -d= -f2)
[ -z "$KEY" ] && KEY="${OPENEI_API_KEY}"
if [ -z "$KEY" ]; then
    echo "No OpenEI API key found."
    echo "Get one free at https://openei.org/services/api/signup/"
    echo "Store in ~/.config/openei/credentials as api_key=YOUR_KEY"
    exit 1
fi

OpenEI Semantic MediaWiki API (openei.org/w/api.php)

No API key required. This is the primary data source for geothermal resource areas. All queries are public and unauthenticated.

GDR (gdr.openei.org)

No API key required for browsing. GDR does not expose a JSON REST API -- dataset discovery uses the web search interface and direct submission pages. Download links are publicly accessible.

Data Sources and API Structure

Source 1: OpenEI Semantic MediaWiki API (Primary)

Base URL: https://openei.org/w/api.php

This is the richest structured data source. It exposes 432+ geothermal resource areas as wiki pages with queryable semantic properties.

Key categories:

Category Description Approx. Count
Geothermal Resource Areas Named geothermal areas with USGS assessments 432+
Geothermal Regions Regional groupings (Basin and Range, Cascades, etc.) ~20
Geothermal Projects DOE-funded project pages ~100+
Geothermal Exploration Properties Exploration data types ~50
Geothermal Low Temperature Direct Use Facilities Direct-use installations ~30

Key properties (verified against actual data):

Property Type Example Value
Coordinates Geographic {"lat": 39.6133, "lon": -112.7283}
USGSMeanReservoirTemp Number (Kelvin) 363.15 (90C)
USGSMeanCapacity String with unit "4 MW"
USGSEstReservoirVol String with unit "1.20 km3"
Place Wiki page ref "Utah"
GeothermalRegion Wiki page ref "Northern Basin and Range Geothermal Region"
GrossProdCapacity Number 0 (most areas undeveloped)
NetProdCapacity Number 0
CSC-Status String "Available"
Name String "Abraham Hot Springs Geothermal Area"
BoundingCoordinatesNE String "39.8133,-112.5283"
BoundingCoordinatesSW String "39.4133,-112.9283"

SMW Query syntax:

action=ask
query=[[Category:Geothermal Resource Areas]][[Place::<STATE>]]
  |?Coordinates
  |?USGSMeanReservoirTemp
  |?USGSMeanCapacity
  |?USGSEstReservoirVol
  |?Place
  |?GeothermalRegion
  |limit=50
format=json

Source 2: GDR (Geothermal Data Repository)

Base URL: https://gdr.openei.org/

The GDR stores DOE GTO-funded datasets. It does not have a public JSON API. Access patterns:

  • Search: https://gdr.openei.org/search?q=<QUERY> (returns HTML)
  • Submission page: https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/<ID> (returns HTML with download links)
  • File download: Links within submission pages point to downloadable CSV/ZIP/Excel files

Useful GDR searches for Li/Mg co-production research:

  • co-production produced water
  • lithium geothermal brine
  • temperature depth well
  • heat flow
  • EGS stimulation

Source 3: NREL Geothermal Prospector

Base URL: https://maps.nrel.gov/geothermal-prospector/

Interactive GIS tool. No public REST API, but provides:

  • Geothermal favorability maps (EGS, hydrothermal, low-temp)
  • Temperature-at-depth layers (3.5 km, 4.5 km, 6.5 km, 10 km)
  • Heat flow data overlays
  • Existing plant and well locations

Use as a reference/visualization tool. Direct the user to the web interface for map exploration.

Workflow

Step 1 -- Resolve Intent

Map the user's question to a data source and query:

User Intent Source Query Pattern
Geothermal areas in a state OpenEI SMW [[Place::<State>]] filter
Reservoir temperatures OpenEI SMW ?USGSMeanReservoirTemp property
Capacity estimates OpenEI SMW ?USGSMeanCapacity property
Dataset search (well logs, etc.) GDR Web search gdr.openei.org/search?q=...
Co-production from O&G wells GDR + literature Search for co-production datasets
Li from geothermal brines GDR + OpenEI Cross-reference with produced waters
Heat flow / gradient OpenEI SMW + GDR Exploration properties + datasets
Geothermal map visualization NREL Prospector Direct user to web tool

Step 2 -- Fetch Data (OpenEI SMW)

Query all geothermal resource areas in a state:

curl -s "https://openei.org/w/api.php" \
  --data-urlencode "action=ask" \
  --data-urlencode "query=[[Category:Geothermal Resource Areas]][[Place::West Virginia]]|?Coordinates|?USGSMeanReservoirTemp|?USGSMeanCapacity|?USGSEstReservoirVol|?GeothermalRegion|limit=50" \
  --data-urlencode "format=json"

Query high-temperature resources (filter in post-processing):

curl -s "https://openei.org/w/api.php" \
  --data-urlencode "action=ask" \
  --data-urlencode "query=[[Category:Geothermal Resource Areas]]|?Coordinates|?USGSMeanReservoirTemp|?USGSMeanCapacity|?Place|?GeothermalRegion|limit=500" \
  --data-urlencode "format=json"

Then filter locally for USGSMeanReservoirTemp > threshold.

Browse a specific geothermal area's properties:

curl -s "https://openei.org/w/api.php" \
  --data-urlencode "action=browsebysubject" \
  --data-urlencode "subject=Cove_Fort_Geothermal_Area" \
  --data-urlencode "format=json"

List all geothermal categories:

curl -s "https://openei.org/w/api.php?action=query&list=allcategories&acprefix=Geothermal&format=json&aclimit=50"

Step 3 -- Fetch Data (GDR)

GDR dataset discovery requires scraping the search page or navigating directly to known submission IDs.

# Search for datasets (returns HTML -- parse for submission IDs and titles)
curl -sL "https://gdr.openei.org/search?q=lithium+geothermal+brine"

# Access a specific submission page
curl -sL "https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1383"

Parse the HTML for:

  • Submission title (in <title> tag)
  • Download links (file URLs within the page)
  • Tags/keywords (in labeled spans)

Step 4 -- Parse Response (OpenEI SMW)

Response structure for action=ask:

{
  "query": {
    "printrequests": [...],
    "results": {
      "Area Name": {
        "printouts": {
          "Coordinates": [{"lat": 39.6133, "lon": -112.7283}],
          "USGSMeanReservoirTemp": [363.15],
          "USGSMeanCapacity": ["4 MW"],
          "USGSEstReservoirVol": ["1.20 km3"],
          "Place": [{"fulltext": "Utah", "fullurl": "..."}],
          "GeothermalRegion": [{"fulltext": "Northern Basin and Range...", "fullurl": "..."}]
        },
        "fulltext": "Area Name",
        "fullurl": "https://openei.org/wiki/Area_Name"
      }
    },
    "serializer": "SMW\\Serializers\\QueryResultSerializer",
    "version": 2,
    "meta": {
      "count": 5,
      "offset": 0,
      "time": "0.026834"
    }
  },
  "query-continue-offset": 50
}

Temperature note: USGSMeanReservoirTemp is in Kelvin. Convert: C = K - 273.15.

Pagination: If query-continue-offset is present, issue another request with |offset=<value> appended to the query string.

Step 5 -- Produce Output

Format: Raw Data Table + Narrative

Present a markdown table of relevant resource areas, then a narrative summary.

Example output:

## Geothermal Resource Areas in Utah

| Area | Lat | Lon | Reservoir Temp (C) | Capacity (MW) | Region |
|------|-----|-----|--------------------|---------------|--------|
| Cove Fort | 38.60 | -112.55 | 150.0 | 26 | Northern Basin and Range |
| Abraham Hot Springs | 39.61 | -112.73 | 90.0 | 4 | Northern Basin and Range |
| Joseph Hot Springs | 38.61 | -112.20 | 90.0 | 5 | Northern Basin and Range |

**Summary:** Utah has 3 identified geothermal resource areas in the USGS
assessment database, all located in the Northern Basin and Range region. Cove
Fort is the most significant with an estimated mean capacity of 26 MW and a
reservoir temperature of 150C (423 K), well above the threshold for
conventional flash-steam generation. Abraham Hot Springs and Joseph Hot Springs
are lower-temperature resources (90C) suitable for binary-cycle power or
direct-use applications.

**Co-production note:** For lithium recovery from geothermal brines, reservoir
temperatures above 100C are favorable as they correlate with higher TDS and
dissolved mineral concentrations. Cross-reference with USGS Produced Waters DB
for brine chemistry data.

Pagination

OpenEI SMW supports pagination via offset in the query string:

|limit=50|offset=0     (first page)
|limit=50|offset=50    (second page)

Check for query-continue-offset in the response. If present, fetch the next page. Maximum limit per request is 500.

Error Handling

Condition Meaning Action
HTTP 200, empty results list No matching areas for query Broaden state/region filter or check spelling
HTTP 200, results is [] not {} Zero results (SMW returns empty list) Report no data found; suggest alternative query
HTTP 500 from openei.org Server error Retry once after 5 seconds
query-continue-offset present More results available Paginate with offset parameter
Property values empty [] Data not available for this area Note as "not assessed" in output
GDR returns HTML for API path GDR has no JSON API Use web search + parse HTML
OpenEI API key missing (for api.openei.org) No key configured Prompt user with signup URL
Timeout on openei.org Server slow Retry with smaller limit value

Temperature Conversion Reference

USGS reservoir temperatures in OpenEI are stored in Kelvin.

Kelvin Celsius Fahrenheit Significance
323.15 50 122 Low-temp direct use threshold
373.15 100 212 Binary cycle power minimum
423.15 150 302 Flash steam viable
473.15 200 392 High-temp conventional
523.15 250 482 Excellent resource
573.15 300 572 Supercritical potential

Co-Production and Lithium Context

Geothermal co-production extracts energy from hot brines already flowing from oil and gas wells. Relevant connections:

  • Hot produced water from deep O&G wells (particularly those below 3 km) often exceeds 100C
  • Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) is being piloted at geothermal plants (e.g., Salton Sea, CA)
  • Appalachian Basin deep wells (Marcellus/Utica) produce waters at 50-90C -- marginal for power but viable for direct-use heating
  • Gulf Coast sedimentary basins have geopressured brines at 150-200C with elevated Li concentrations

Cross-reference geothermal resource areas with:

  1. usgs-produced-waters skill -- for brine chemistry (Li, Mg, TDS)
  2. wvges-wells skill -- for WV well depths and formations
  3. eia-data skill -- for current geothermal power generation statistics

Geothermal Regions Reference

Major U.S. geothermal regions in the OpenEI database:

Region States Characteristics
Northern Basin and Range NV, UT, OR, ID Extensional tectonics, high heat flow
Southern Basin and Range AZ, NM, TX Lower heat flow, some hot springs
Cascades WA, OR, CA Volcanic arc, high temp resources
Alaska AK Volcanic, remote, high potential
Great Basin NV, UT Highest concentration of resources
Imperial Valley / Salton Trough CA Extremely high temp, active Li extraction
Rio Grande Rift NM, CO Extensional, moderate resources
Snake River Plain ID Volcanic, moderate-high temp
Appalachian Basin WV, PA, OH, NY Low-temp, co-production potential only

Implementation Notes

  • Prefer bash_tool with curl for OpenEI SMW queries -- no key needed, fast responses
  • URL-encode SMW queries -- the [[ and ]] brackets must be encoded as %5B%5B and %5D%5D
  • Use --data-urlencode with curl to handle encoding automatically
  • Python client -- see references/python_example.py for a complete client with pagination
  • Temperature conversion -- always convert Kelvin to Celsius in output tables
  • GDR is HTML-only -- for dataset searches, parse the HTML or direct the user to the GDR web interface
  • Capacity values are strings -- parse the numeric portion from values like "26 MW"
  • Place property is a page reference -- extract fulltext field for the state/country name
  • OpenEI data is USGS 2008 assessment -- note this in output as data may not reflect current conditions
  • Geothermal Prospector at https://maps.nrel.gov/geothermal-prospector/ is the best visualization tool -- direct users there for map-based exploration
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