Nevada to Quadruple Its Geothermal Power, Says GEA Report

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46975

Nevada is on-track to be producing more than 1000 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power in the next 3-5 years, a level that would meet roughly 25% of the state's total power needs, according to a new report from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA).

The GEA report, which is available without charge, complements GEA reports issued earlier this year examining geothermal resources in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Idaho.
"A combination of federal and state policies have propelled substantial new geothermal power development in Nevada," said Dan Fleischmann, author of "Geothermal Resource Development in Nevada -- 2006."

His analysis concludes that this level of geothermal production is due to the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS); (2) the extension of the federal production tax credit (PTC) to include geothermal energy; (3) the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) efforts to reduce its leasing backlog; and (4) the Department of Energy's (DOE)support for cost- shared drilling, technical assistance, and the work of the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy at the University of Nevada Reno.

The report identifies up to 29 new geothermal power projects now under development in Nevada and finds that new power plants would produce as much as 853 MW. When completed, these new plants will quadruple the existing 276.4 MW capacity from Nevada's currently operating 15 power plants. With over 1100 MW, Nevada would be generating more power than most of the 25 countries producing geothermal energy today. Only the US and the Philippines produce more.

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[kestrel91316]

1. Can somebody summarize for me, in two or three simple

sentences, how geothermal electricity can be produced at places that aren't like Yellowstone? I get how pulling super-hot water from the ground can be done where there are geysers and such. But in Nevada?

[IDemo]

2. you don't need hot water at the surface for geothermal electric

These projects need to drill as far as two miles down to access superheated water, which is then 'flashed' to steam at the surface to drive a conventional turbine generator. Water is injected through another well to replace the extracted hot water. US Geothermal is developing a site in southeast Idaho (in the geologic shadow of Yellowstone) with as much as 110MW potential.

[kestrel91316]

4. I get it - thanks! But there has to be a source of superheated water

down below, right? So how do they know this in advance in a place like NV, which is not exactly a hotspot like Yellowstone..........?

[IDemo]

5. I'm not a geologist

but it looks like they basically locate hot water in a similar fashion they do oil; by exploratory drilling in an area known to match the required geologic footprint. For geothermal/super heated water, this means in an area where one or more fractures are known to exist in the bedrock, allowing a path for water to and from hotter depths. They use some of the same tools to perform the search, such as seismic drilling.

From this site: "Recent igneous activity may provide local, high-level, heat sources for geothermal systems. As a result, the distribution and timing of volcanic events is important for assessing the geothermal potential of a region."

The area in southeastern Idaho where geothermal development is occurring is still very young geologically. Several 'cinder cones' (inactive volcanoes) are visible from the highway that crosses the desert here. A National Geographic special last month showed a graphic of the Yellowstone hotzone migrating northeast over millions of years, through Idaho and northern Nevada. Much of the land left in the path of this migration is still somewhat geologically active below the surface.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Following the links ...

Here's a link to a government publication, Geothermal Today, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

--p!