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This report contains preprints of papers pertaining to geothermal energy development in the Eastern United States written by members of the Center for Metropolitan Planning and Research (Metro Center) and by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) both of The Johns Hopkins University.

The Geothermal Resources Interactive Temporal Simulation (GRITS) model is a computer code designed to estimate the costs of geothermal energy systems. The interactive program allows the user to vary resource, demand, and financial parameters to observe their effects on delivered costs of direct-use geothermal energy. Due to the large number and interdependent nature of the variables that influence these costs, the variables can be handled practically only through computer modeling. This report documents a sensitivity analysis of the cost of direct-use geothermal energy where each major element is varied to measure the responsiveness of cost to changes in that element. It is hoped that this analysis will assist those persons interested in geothermal energy to understand the most significant cost element as well as those individuals interested in using the GRITS program in the future.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and the Center for Metropolitan Planning and Research support the Division of Geothermal Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, in the development of geothermal energy in the Eastern United States. In this role, many tools have been developed to assist in the analysis of the economics of the application of geothermal energy. This report documents one computer program that has proved useful.