Geothermal Power Thread

[amor de cosmos]

Japan Looks at Dozens of New Geothermal Power Plants
By John Daly | Wed, 05 February 2014 22:28

In the aftermath of the 11 March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis, the then ruling Democratic Party of Japan took all of the country's 54 nuclear reactors offline before subsequently restarting two NPP reactors at the Oi nuclear power facility in Fukui Prefecture.

Nevertheless, not unexpectedly, resistance to nuclear power generation nearly three years after the Fukushima Daiichi debacle, which shut down six reactors, remains quite substantial.

Accordingly, seeking alternative power sources has increased, with the result that construction plans for mid-sized geothermal plants is becoming a boom energy concern across Japan in the wake of the 2011 “Great East Japan Earthquake” that effectively destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi six nuclear reactor complex.

As a significant milestone on Japan’s increasing diversification of energy sources, in April Chuo Electric Power Co. will open a new geothermal plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan’s first geothermal power plant opened since 1999.

The move towards renewables by the world’s third largest economy is not insignificant.



Three Japanese industrial concerns - Toshiba, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Electric have a combined total of over half the world market for geothermal turbines, even though currently geothermal power accounts for a mere 0.3 percent of Japan’s total electricity production.

But Stefansson’s relentless advocacy of geothermal power for Japan may have yet an ace up his sleeve. When in August 2012 Stefansson presented his ambassador credentials to Japanese Emperor Akihito, the monarch expressed great interest in the role of Japan related to global warming, querying Stefansson about Iceland’s geothermal energy industry before asking about trade relations between Iceland and Japan.

While the initial kilowatt-hour price of geothermal remains higher than hydrocarbon-based power generation, Japan remains an indigenous power source costing out eventual kilowatt hours after factoring out start-up costs. And, unlike most other renewable energy sources, like hydroelectric power generation, it is available 24/7.

Except for initial sticker shock on start-up prices then, there seems little not to like in Tokyo.

http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Ener...er-Plants.html

[amor de cosmos]

Iceland, Japan Can Cooperate to Boost Geothermal, Minister Says
19 February 2014

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) — Iceland and Japan, two nations rich with underground sources of renewable energy, can tackle climate change together by promoting the use of geothermal power, Iceland’s environment minister said.

“We can cooperate both in Japan and Iceland,” Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson said in an interview in Tokyo. “It is the know-how we have for how to utilize geothermal in many ways” such as power generation, heating, and fish farming, he said.

By combining expertise, the two countries would be able to provide help to other nations such as Djibouti and Kenya in East Africa and other developing countries, he said.

Japan can contribute with its technology, the minister said, adding that more than 90 percent of the turbines used in Iceland are supplied by Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Toshiba Corp., and Fuji Electric Co.

Mitsubishi Heavy signed a memorandum of understanding in 2010 with Reykjavik Energy, an Icelandic geothermal power utility, to cooperate on the global development of geothermal energy, according to Mitsubishi Heavy’s website.

Iceland and Japan are ranked seventh and eighth in terms of installed geothermal capacity, according to an October report by the International Energy Agency.

Iceland’s geothermal capacity grew to 951 megawatts last year from 65 megawatts in 2000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. In the same period, Japan’s capacity has remained almost unchanged at 537 megawatts.

Geothermal Potential

Japan eased rules in March 2012 to allow geothermal developments in protected national parks as part of an effort to boost clean energy supplies.

The measure was followed by the introduction of an incentive program paying above-market rates for renewables. Solar has so far received the biggest boost from the incentive program as it requires less time to build compared with geothermal and wind.

Geothermal, which currently supplies about 0.2 percent of Japan’s electricity, has the potential to produce 23,000 megawatts of capacity for Japan, according to a 2012 report by the Geothermal Energy Association in Washington D.C. By comparison, Japan had about 14,000 megawatts of solar capacity at the end of 2013, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/icel...minister-says/

[amor de cosmos]

Enbridge Stake in U.S. Geothermal Oregon Project Doubles to 40%
25 February 2014

Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) — Enbridge Inc. finalized an ownership agreement and now holds a 40 percent stake in the first geothermal project to receive a U.S. loan guarantee.

Enbridge has invested $32 million in the $139.3 million Neal Hot Springs project, Kristen Higgins, a spokeswoman for the Calgary-based company, said today in an e-mail. The power-generation project was completed in August.

U.S. Geothermal Inc. holds 60 percent of the 22-megawatt project in Vale, Oregon, the company said in a statement yesterday. Enbridge initially held 20 percent before ownership amounts were recalculated to account for federal and state tax credit and reserve fund disbursements.

U.S. Geothermal, based in Boise, Idaho, invested $14 million in the project, Saf Dhillon, a company spokesman, said today in an interview. The balance was provided by a federal government loan. The U.S. Energy Department guaranteed a $96.8 million loan for Neal Hot Springs.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/enbr...doubles-to-40/

[amor de cosmos]

Geothermal news briefs from around the world for the week of February 24, 2014

Also at the Salton Sea, drilling at the nearby Hudson Ranch II project has been suspended following the drilling of two sub-commercial wells. Salt River Project in Arizona holds a PPA for power from the plant, which remains in place. Andy Horne, Imperial County deputy executive officer for natural resources development told press, “It spells out how uncertain it is and how difficult it is to locate a well and start generating power.”

Winter 2014′s displaced polar vortex caused natural gas shortages and a four-year high in natural gas prices in February. The shortages led California’s ISO to issue a statewide Flex Alert on Feb. 6, with customers asked to conserve energy between 1:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. that day.

The Connecticut Geothermal Association has gifted a geothermal system to Habitat for Humanity of Northwest CT that will be utilized in a three bedroom home. The system has a retail value of about $40,000, and it is expected to lower projected electrical heating costs by three-quarters.

Hawaii State House of Representatives was set to look at two different bills on geothermal subzones. HB 1766 would reinstate a requirement that geothermal projects occur in designated subzones and specifies where the county has authority over the state. A similar bill, HB 2639 would not re-establish geothermal subzones.

HB 2359 and SB 2940, also in Hawaii, would ban hydraulic fracturing. Mililani Trask of Indigenous Consultants spoke against the bill at a hearing: “Why do we have this bill? … Its a fabrication to create hysteria against geothermal development.”

Ball State University, Indiana, provides an update on its geothermal system: “[F]ully 47 buildings are connected to the system for cooling and some 22 buildings have been connected for heating this winter season. Once the south field of bore-holes is completed and the south energy station becomes operational, the remaining 25 buildings in the south half of campus will be connected to the heating loop of the system. Within the next 18 months, the entire campus heating and cooling needs will be fully met by the district-scale geothermal heat pump chiller system.”

Experts at Cornell University in New York have published a paper on the updated GEOPHIRES (GEOthermal energy for the Production of Heat and Electricity (“IR”) Economically Simulated) software tool that was used in the 2006 MIT “Future of Geothermal Energy” study. The tool “combines reservoir, wellbore, and power plant models with capital and operating cost correlations and financial levelized cost models to assess the technical and economic performance of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS),” according to the AIP abstract.

Drilling should begin in March on a second geothermal production well at Olene, Klamath Falls, and is expected to take two or three months. Testing at the first well indicates commercial viability of geothermal production “up to 1,500 gallons per minute,” Bill Honjas, president and CEO of Klamath Basin Geopower told press.

The African Union Commission’s Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility is moving forward. “Under the facility, grants have been awarded to 5 projects in Kenya and Ethiopia, amounting to 22 million US dollars, and other agreements will be signed in March this year,” Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Dr. Elham Ibrahim was quoted following the Second High Level Meeting of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership.

A Reuters update on the Djibouti Lake Assal geothermal project says phase 1, for 50 MW, will start in 2015. Reykjavik Energy Invest of Iceland will develop the project.

An International Business Times article looks at Ethiopia’s Corbetti project and how the Power Africa initiative is powering geothermal projects in Africa’s Rift Valley. Ethiopia is also planning a Red Sea cable to export 100 MW of electricity a year to Yemen.

KenGen tells local press it has drilled one of the largest geothermal wells in Africa, at 30 MW, located in Olkaria Naivasha, Kenya.

Japanese geothermal experts are in Kenya to provide technical advice to Geothermal Development Company.

In Zambia, geothermal exploration company Kalahari will move on to a third well in Kafue Basin. The area could have as much as 1,000 MW potential.

Saint Lucia Electricity Services Limited says on its Web site it has put time and money into developing the legal and technical framework “which will allow it to purchase whatever electricity can be produced from the Sulphur Springs,” the site where World Bank is studying geothermal potential.

State-owned Sinopec’s geo energy project in China‘s Henan province is intended to supplant natural gas consumption by about 4.87 million m3/a and reduce carbon emissions of 70 million cm3.

Mount Kelud in Indonesia erupted, causing mass evacuation. The Earth is flexing its power.

In New Zealand, Top Energy plans to expand its Ngawha geothermal plant near Kaikohe and could create around 200 new jobs.

New Zealand’s Mighty River Power reported a net profit of $124 million over the last six months largely due to strong geothermal production.

After reports that Aboitiz Power Corp and Vivant Corp were named Independent Power Producer Administrators for the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant in The Philippines, at 40 MW and 17 MW, respectively; Energy Development Corp was also announced as a 40-MW winner. Also, UNIFIED Leyte Geothermal Energy Inc. withdrew its bid.

Filipino developer Emerging Power Inc. (EPI) is discussing geothermal fish farming joint ventures in Mindoro. Local fishing enterprises would use the company’s resources at Montelago Geothermal Power Plant starting in 2016 when the 40-MW plant is expected to begin operations. The geothermal fluid mixed with water will contain natural microorganisms and minerals that that are healthier for the fish than chemical-based feeds. The plan is expected to save fish farmers 80% on fuel costs. EPI is signing an agreement to supply geothermal power to Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc., added to a prior agreement with Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc., meaning the company will provide geothermal to the entire Mindoro island.

In the Solomon Islands, Geodynamics (Australia) and joint venture partner Kentor Energy have completed an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Savo Island Geothermal Power Project. The assessment showed positive impacts such as potential to replace diesel fuel, lower dependence on imports, and create jobs. “We are now accelerating our preparations to undertake the planned four well exploration drilling program,” project director Gregory Wong was quoted.

The Vanuatu geothermal project is also headed up by Geodynamics. A new agreement with partner Takara Community signals exploratory work will begin. Prime Minister Moana Carcasses was quoted, “The development of Vanuatu’s geothermal resource is a Government policy priority and central to the National Energy Road Map recommendations. This is a project of national importance and key to our economic development.”

Iceland’s environment minister Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson said in an interview in Tokyo that the two countries can cooperate on geothermal energy to provide help to Djibouti, Kenya, and other developing countries. While Iceland provides the know-how, Japan provides technologies, he said.

Iran’s Renewable Energies Organization has said that the country’s only geothermal energy project is halted due to insufficient funds.

http://geoenergist.wordpress.com/201...ruary-24-2014/

[amor de cosmos]

Top 5 Reasons Why Geothermal Power is Nowhere in Canada
Thu, 2014-02-27 09:13
Raphael Lopoukhine

Canada has no commercial geothermal power plants, despite having abundant potential and, ironically, Canadian energy companies running geothermal power plants around the world.

Canada’s west coast forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a giant horseshoe of active volcanoes and earthquake zones stretching from New Zealand all the way around Alaska to the bottom of South America. The geology putting coastal cities at risk also makes the area great for developing geothermal resources.

Ring of Fire countries New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States and Mexico all have commercial geothermal plants, but not Canada. A groundbreaking 2010 study of Canada’s geothermal potential found the best locations were in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, but even Ontario could produce geothermal power if someone dug deep enough.

To develop a geothermal power plant, a firm needs to drill a well deep into the ground to extract hot water to generate steam to turn an electrical turbine. The water is then recycled through another well back underground. The most important factors are the temperature of the extracted water and the flow rate – the hotter the water and the more of it, the better.

Under the right conditions, geothermal energy is generally cheaper than all other forms of electricity generation over the entire life span of a power plant, according to a 2009 report from investment bank Credit Suisse.

As solar and wind energy development has taken off in Canada in the last decade, geothermal – an energy that doesn't depend on the weather – has not. DeSmog Canada asked Canadian geothermal companies and experts to find out why?

1. Blessed with cheap resources

2. Upfront cost and risk is high

3. Limited government interest and support

4. Chicken or egg problem

5. No price on carbon

http://desmog.ca/2014/02/26/top-5-re...nowhere-canada

[amor de cosmos]

Hawaii Senator Blasts Agencies for Geothermal Project Standstill
Leslie Blodgett, GEA
March 07, 2014 | 0 Comments

Attorneys and a state Senator are getting involved in a still-unawarded geothermal contract Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO) had originally said would be awarded before the end of 2013. The RFP was posted in early 2013 and asked for a 50-MW influx of geothermal power development on the Big Island of Hawaii. Disruptions caused by the continuing delay include losses of the companies that submitted proposals, and a breach of public trust lawsuit has been brought against the State of Hawaii; Governor Neil Abercrombie; the Public Utilities Commission (PUC); Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO); Maui Electric Company; Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO); and Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI).

Hawaii State Senator Malama Solomon requested an explanation from both the PUC and Boston Pacific Company, the Independent Observer of the proposal, in a January letter. But Counsel Thomas Gorak of Boston Pacific also sent a letter that indicates delays are likely due to poor planning by HELCO.

“I strongly believe the recent actions of HECO/HELCO in the Geothermal 50-MW RFP demonstrate that HECO is intent on delaying (and/or preventing) geothermal development on Hawaii Island,” Solomon wrote in her letter. “This is due to HECO’s preference for fossil fuel and bio fuels for its own plants to the detriment of the development and integration of other renewable sources of energy.”

Solomon is Chair of the Committee on Water and Land and actually voted in committee for a Senate bill (S.B. 2940) to ban hydraulic fracturing that some have said is being used to raise opposition against geothermal development. The committee statement says, “[I]ssues of oil/gas leakage, injection of highly pressurized fluids, etc. do not apply to the only relevant application in Hawaii, geothermal drilling, since fracking is used in areas with hot, dry rock with poor permeability rather than the geological formations found in Hawaii. Therefore, this measure may create false impressions of unfounded risks to geothermal production in Hawaii.”

But for many of these same reasons, geothermal developers are opposing the bill. Speaking against the House companion bill (H.B. 2359) in a joint hearing by the House Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water and Land, Mililani Trask, who advises Innovation Development Group, explained that fracking in Hawaii’s already permeable rock does not make sense. “Why do we have this bill? … It’s a fabrication to create hysteria against geothermal development,” she said at the hearing. Innovation Development Group is a local Hawaiian company that has bid on the geothermal RFP.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...ect-standstill

Navigating the Winding Road of Geothermal Project Financing, Part I
Sid Sinha, Marathon Capital Markets
March 07, 2014 | 0 Comments

It is no secret that renewable energy project development cycles present many unique challenges — as well as promising opportunities — for developers, investors and power users alike. Geothermal energy project development in particular can be a challenging endeavor, based on the extended timelines involved in successfully proving a resource, mitigating drilling risk and managing the subsurface reservoir on an ongoing basis. These are unique “geo sector-specific” issues that must be managed, in addition to the typical power plant development and construction issues inherent in any energy project endeavor. Due to these challenges, the corresponding financing of geothermal projects must be carefully tailored to match these specific features.

Where Are the Investor Entry Points?

The key to financing geothermal energy projects is recognizing how the risk profile of a geothermal project varies over time as it is developed — from early-stage development, to drilling the wellfield, to construction and finally to plant operations — and then correctly matching the particular “investor type” and capital tranche with the project’s prevailing risk-return profile.

From a resource development standpoint, geothermal projects can broadly be described as “pre-drilling” and “post-drilling” (with various further permutations thereof). Pre-drilling is akin to many other early stage energy development projects and, as the name implies, references a project that has land control, permitting, environmental considerations, potentially some slim bore wells and/or temperature gradient holes and other such milestones complete or in process, but does not have actual production and injection wells drilled. Post-drilling similarly references a project with the wellfield completed and the drilling risk mitigated.

There is some degree of transition in terms of project maturation from pre- to post-drilling, and this in turn leads to various potential investor “entry points” (this will be later highlighted in the project financing discussion section). In addition, the risk profile of post-drilling projects also typically further improves with time as the project operates and the resource behavior is better understood. Such up and running projects, underpinned by stable resources, are the proverbial “gold standard” of geothermal projects and can therefore attract relatively low-cost, risk-conservative forms of capital at scale.

The Difficulty with Drilling

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...nancing-part-i

[amor de cosmos]

Reykjavik to Start Drilling on $2 Billion Ethiopia Geothermal Project
Paul Richardson, Bloomberg
March 12, 2014 | 0 Comments

Nairobi, Kenya -- Reykjavik Geothermal, the Icelandic power-plant builder, plans to begin drilling in Ethiopia by July as part of a $2 billion project to develop the renewable energy source, Chief Operating Officer Gunnar Orn Gunnarsson said.

Ethiopia’s government signed a deal with the Reykjavik- based company in October to build a power plant on an imploded volcano in the Rift Valley that will generate 500 megawatts of electricity by 2020. The licensing of a large-scale private power-generation project marks a shift from the country’s previous reliance on domestic investment and Chinese loans to finance infrastructure development.

“We think we have a project that can have a return on equity that is acceptable by the investors,” Gunnarsson said in an interview on March 7 from Iceland. The company plans to begin closing financing deals this month worth as much as $80 million and expects to eventually raise $500 million from equity partners, he said.

Ethiopia’s government has operated a state-dominated market economy since rebels overthrew a socialist military regime in 1991. While private investment has been encouraged in areas including agriculture and manufacturing, government enterprises control or monopolize financial services, transportation, energy and telecommunications.

*snip*

Collapsed Caldera

On top of the collapsed volcano, or caldera, steam seeps from cracks between rocks in an undulating, dusty patch of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the town of Shashemene. Residents have propped up meshes of branches to trap the condensing steam. A few kilometers away, hundreds of head-scarfed women, children and donkeys gather with yellow jerry cans to collect water from a rare well.

The caldera, which formed tens of thousands of years ago, is suitable for using steam to turn electricity turbines as tests shows that a “huge resource” of water vapor at temperatures of well over 250 degrees Celsius (482 Fahrenheit) lies near the earth’s surface, Gunnarsson said.

Similar sites in Iceland produced significant amounts of energy, “so we are very, very confident that we will be successful,” he said. The addition of 500 megawatts of power would increase current generating capacity by 25 percent. The company is also working on projects in Mexico and the Caribbean and considering Kenya and Tanzania, Gunnarsson said.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...hermal-project

[amor de cosmos]

How Geothermal Heat Pumps Can Soar Like Solar
Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP) are a niche market. They shouldn’t be.
Tom Konrad, Contributor
March 13, 2014 | 0 Comments

Ralph Waldo Emerson never said “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” The mousetrap that likely inspired the misquote was invented seven years after his death. Unfortunately, many people take it literally. GHPs have all the hallmarks of a better mousetrap: They do the job of heating and cooling a building more efficiently than any other option. Despite the larger up-front cost, they are a mature technology and usually the most economic option for buildings that can accommodate them.

Not only can GHPs cut energy costs for heating and cooling by up to 80%, they can also provide other benefits such as essentially free hot water when in cooling mode, lower reliance on fossil fuels, and the elimination of above ground outdoor equipment. These advantages have earned GHPs a small but dedicated cult of true believers, but not broad market acceptance.

The world has not yet beaten a path to the GHP door. Instead, GHPs have a slim and only modestly growing market share. A study by Frost and Sullivan projects the market for GHPs in North American commercial buildings to grow at a 7.8% annual rate from 2012, 4.7% faster than the North American climate control market as a whole. An industry representative pointed me to a Navigant study which projects the world installed base to grow from 13.3 million tons to 36.2 million tons in 2020, see chart below.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...solar?page=all

[amor de cosmos]

Can Gigawatts of Geothermal Save the Salton Sea?
The Geothermal Energy Association announced its partnership with the Imperial Irrigation District to develop massive geothermal resources near the Salton Sea while revitalizing the economy and environment.
Meg Cichon, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com
March 14, 2014 | 0 Comments

New Hampshire, USA -- Famously known for its rise and fall as a resort destination in the 50s and 60s, The Salton Sea area in California has struggled to find support for revitalization efforts. After all, the lake’s high salinity makes it nearly impossible for sea life to prosper, and as water levels continue to diminish, the exposed sea floor further contaminates the arid, stale air. However, there is one industry that is eager to take advantage of what seemingly little the area has to offer — geothermal. Under the surface of that toxic seabed are thousands of megawatts of potential.

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has had its eye on the area for some time, and today announced that it has joined forces with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) to support renewable energy development in the region.

The district has more than 2,900 MW of geothermal resource potential, and as the sea continues to recede, the potential grows, according to a recent report released by the GEA. The IDD believes these resources can be developed incrementally by 2032. “Not only is there more geothermal generating capacity in the Imperial Valley than anywhere else in the U.S., but geothermal energy can be produced with minimal impact on landscape and habitat,” according to the IDD. Of course, as is the usual story when it comes to geothermal development, there are some barriers to overcome first.

The major problem to overcome is lack of transmission. Since the Salton Sea is fairly isolated, the IDD estimates about 150 miles of transmission line is necessary. “[Transmission] has always been the problem with the Imperial Valley,” said GEA executive director Karl Gawell. “Our problem isn’t getting power from Wyoming to California — we can't get power from California to California.”

According to the IDD, new transmission can be built at about $2-4 million per mile. The cost of the new transmission line could be recovered under California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) Transmission Revenue Requirement (TRR), however “the process for developing a transmission line of this size would require some certainty as to cost recovery through approved rates,” according to the GEA report.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...the-salton-sea

[amor de cosmos]

03/18/2014 03:53 PM
Geothermal And Lithium Production, Perfect Together
SustainableBusiness.com News

Tesla's Gigafactory is already spurring a new business that's vying to supply it.

A startup company called Simbol is in the final stages of raising funds for a factory that would open in 2017 - the same year as Tesla's world's largest battery plant.

Simbol's California plant - which breaks ground this summer - would be the first to create lithium by extracting it from geothermal power plant waste. The company is partnering with geothermal power producers in a mecca for that kind of energy - Southern California's Imperial Valley.

Tesla's plant will need lots of lithium to make batteries. At 30 gigawatt-hours of annual capacity, it will consume more lithium than produced worldwide in 2013. And demand for lithium is growing for other energy storage applications as well as for consumer electronics.

Luckily, geothermal, which has lagged other renewable energy sources, is finally growing. It will also be the sole power source for Sonoma Clean Power, a new municipal utility, and projects are popping up in a majority of countries. Geothermal surpassed 12 gigawatts (GW) last year and there are 30 GW in the pipeline, according to the industry's trade association.

"In numerous countries across Latin America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, geothermal is not just an option for renewable power but is the least-cost option for power generally, better than coal, gas and hydro," Mark Taylor from New Energy Finance told Bloomberg. "If a country has plentiful and powerful geo resources, geo will be highly competitive with all power and generally represent a growth opportunity."

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/i...splay/id/25590

Geothermal Beating Coal Lures Enel From Tuscan Geysers
By Alessandra Migliaccio Jul 18, 2013 4:01 PM PT

More than a century ago an Italian prince developed a machine that harnessed the hot air rising from the hills south of Florence to spin a turbine and generate the world’s first geothermal power.

Today the region better known for Chianti wine than high-technology produces enough power for a million people. That’s helped make Italy Europe’s biggest generator from underground heat, the world’s cheapest source of electricity.

Enel Green Power SpA (EGPW), which operates the plant, says its experience will give the unit of Italy’s largest utility an edge as it spends 900 million euros ($1.2 billion) in four years to take its technology from Turkey to Peru. Researcher Frost & Sullivan Inc. expects the global market to grow fivefold to $5.89 billion in the seven years through 2017 as governments cut green subsidies and seek alternatives to wind and solar.

“A lot of people can do solar or wind, but geothermal is quite complex,” Enel Green Power Chief Executive Officer Francesco Starace said in an interview. “The fact that we’re already ahead of others is an advantage. It’s a good hedge against risks for us.”

The most common form of geothermal power costs about $64.20 a megawatt-hour, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, below the $78.30 for coal, $82.61 for onshore wind turbines and $142.68 for traditional solar panels.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...n-geysers.html

[amor de cosmos]

Geothermal power exploration to start south of Terrace this spring
by Anna Killen - Terrace Standard
posted Mar 20, 2014 at 6:00 AM

PLANS for a geothermal power plant in the Mount Layton Hot Springs area near Terrace are still in the initials stages, but if the project were to proceed as intended, it could generate enough electricity to power close to 10,000 homes.

Exploration on the potential for a 15-megawatt geothermal power plant, through a Kitselas First Nation-led consortium that also includes Enbridge and geothermal exploration company Borealis Inc., is set to being this spring, confirmed Chris Knight, an advisor for Kitselas.

“We want to get the exploration program started this field season,” he said. “It'll take a year so we want to get going as soon as we can.”

The consortium purchased exploration rights for $100,000 from the provincial government earlier this year.

The exploration process works in three phases. The first is “a series of biochemical analyses, data gathering, modelling, some work that doesn't require much in the way of surface impact,” he said. The process then moves onto a series of slim-hole drilling initiatives, and if that proves viable, the third phase would be the drilling of a small number of production wells “to determine in full detail the carrying capacity of the resource and its ability to support what we've initially targeted as a 15 mega watt geothermal power plant.”

A 15-megawatt plant would have a small surface footprint, while still producing a decent amount of electricity, Knight explained.

“We wanted it to be modest in terms of size, and we wanted it to be of a size that would lend itself to consideration by the BC Hydro standing offer program,” he said.

That program involves independent power projects selling power to BC Hydro.

Aside from selling electricity to BC Hydro, the plant would generate nearly 30 megawatts of thermal energy as a by-product to be used for commercial and industrial purposes, said Knight.

“This is heat that could potentially heat greenhouses or provide primary fibre breakdown,” he said. “There's kind of two dimensions to this – it's the economic benefit of producing electricity but there's also potential associated with the heat by-product that comes from the production of that electricity.”

The project was a Kitselas initiative, he said.

“Kitselas has known about the surface anomaly of the geothermal resource for generations, it was used very extensively in historic times by the Kitselas First Nation so Kitselas has always known that there's a potential there,” he said.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/251196971.html

Geothermal Gains Traction in Post-Fukushima Japan
By James Burgess | Wed, 19 March 2014 23:08

Japan’s Chuo Electric Power Co. is preparing to launch the country’s first new geothermal power project in 15 years at a time when Tokyo is grappling with energy alternatives to its deactivated nuclear reactors.

The new geothermal plant on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu will take advantage of the area’s natural hot springs and volcanic activity and will be one of the first to go online since 1999, boosting the nation’s geothermal power-generation potential which currently represents only 2%.

Chuo Electric has said it plans to open five more geothermal power-generation plants in the next five years.

Japan, being one of the world’s most seismically active nations, is estimated that the country should be able to generate as much as 23 million kilowatts of energy.

Three years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan’s interest in geothermal power generation has increased.

Other technology giants such as Toshiba and Orix are also looking at plans for geothermal power generation plants across the country. Last November, the two companies set up a joint geothermal power company with the goal of launching their first project in Gifu prefecture in 2015.

According to some reports, there are more than 60 spots around the country that are currently being tapped as possible sites for plants.

However, opposition remains, and some in Japan are concerned that further development of geothermal energy could deplete the country’s hot springs.

Hirokazu Nunoyama, director of the Japan Spa Association, says hot spring baths are a cultural tradition and expresses concern over the potential dual sourcing of the island nation’s volcanic hot springs.

http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Ener...ima-Japan.html

[amor de cosmos]

Japan to Guarantee Debt for Two Geothermal Projects, METI Says
27 March 2014

March 27 (Bloomberg) — Japan’s government will guarantee debt to build geothermal power stations to attract investment by private financial institutions, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

State-run Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corp. will for the first time offer the guarantee for a 5 megawatt project planned by a unit of Kyushu Electric Power Co. in the southwestern prefecture of Oita, the ministry said in a statement.

JOGMEC will also guarantee debt for a 400 kilowatt station in Fukushima in northeastern Japan, according to the ministry.

The move is to encourage financing from institutions that are unfamiliar with geothermal projects, said Hidefumi Nakashima, a JOGMEC official after a press conference in Tokyo today.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/japa...cts-meti-says/

[amor de cosmos]

Mar 28, 2014
Ormat to Supply $254 Million of Geothermal Gear in Indonesia

March 28 (Bloomberg) — Ormat Technologies Inc., a U.S. developer of geothermal power, agreed to supply $254 million in equipment for a 330-megawatt power plant in Indonesia.

Ormat also will own about 12.75 percent of the $1.17 billion Sarulla geothermal plant, the Reno, Nevada-based company said in a statement today. PT Medco Energi Internasional, Itochu Corp. and Kyushu Electric Power Co. are also developing the power plant and construction is expected to begin in 2016.

Revenue from the sale will come in over three to four years, starting in the third quarter, according to the statement.

Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Asian Development Bank and six commercial lenders are providing construction and term loans to finance the project in northern Sumatra, and the national utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara PT will purchase the output under a 30-year contract.

Ormat gained 3.3 percent to $30.30 at the close in New York, the highest since February 2011. The company said yesterday it had agreed to sell its Heber solar farm in California to RET Holdings LLC for $35.3 million.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/orma...-in-indonesia/

[amor de cosmos]

State Legislature Hearing: Why Isn't California Using More Geothermal?
Leslie Blodgett, GEA
April 11, 2014 | 0 Comments

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Geothermal potential was the subject of a joint committee hearing in California on April 3 led by State Senator Ben Hueso, D-40th Senate District, and Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, D-46th Assembly District. As the hearing began, Senator Hueso, who is Chair of the Senate Select Committee on California’s Energy Independents, and Assemblyman Pérez, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Renewable Energy Economy in rural California, each expressed their interest in understanding why the state is not using more of its untapped geothermal resources. Of particular interest for California lawmakers, industry, and consumers alike are the areas near the Salton Sea familiar to the geothermal industry for their immense potential for power development.

The first panel of witnesses included California Energy Commission Commissioner David Hochschild; Executive Director of Independent Energy Producers Association Jan Smutny-Jones; and Executive Director of the Geothermal Energy Association Karl Gawell, each discussing the values that geothermal brings as well as challenges to further development in the state. Gawell provided testimony on the potential for expanded geothermal energy production, referencing the “State of Geothermal Energy in California” status report recently published by the GEA. California is no stranger to the industry, with about 2,700 MW of nameplate capacity already installed. However, this figure represents only about half of the identified resources. “Geothermal power can be a key to achieving an expanded post 33% renewable power portfolio at the lowest total cost,” Gawell said.

In the second panel, Imperial Irrigation District’s General Manager, Kevin Kelley, discussed the plans for a major Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative that would address both environmental and renewable energy needs of the state, noting that time is of the essence to prevent further decline of the sea. The plan would develop over 1,000 MW of geothermal power and build important transmission links to connect the Valley with other parts of California. California Independent System Operator’s Vice President, Karen Edson, and Energy Division Director for California Public Utilities Division Edward Randolph, also were called upon to testify.

Several geothermal company representatives were present at the hearing and commented on the California market afterward. “Enel Green Power North America is supportive of legislation that furthers geothermal expansion in California,” said Page, Vice President at Enel Green Power North America.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...hermal-hearing

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Apr 14, 2014
U.S. Geothermal Acquires Development Rights for Oregon Location

April 14 (Bloomberg) — U.S. Geothermal Inc., the Boise, Idaho-based developer of renewable-energy projects, acquired development rights for a 368-acre site in Oregon to evaluate the potential for new power plants.

The rights were acquired from private landowners, Malheur County and the city of Vale, U.S. Geothermal said today in a statement. Terms weren’t disclosed.

The Vale Butte site is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of the company’s Neal Hot Springs power plant, which was completed in August.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/u-s-...egon-location/

[amor de cosmos]

WA geothermal project founders – due to a lack of oil
By Staff Reporter on 16 April 2014

A geothermal drilling project in Western Australia’s Mid West region has come to an early end- apparently because one of the partners decided that there was not enough hydrocarbons to make the drilling program worthwhile.

Aspiring geothermal developers Green Rock Energy has partnered with oil and gas exploration and production company AWE for the Mid West Geothermal Energy Project, which was announced in March, 2013.

According to Green Rock and Pacific Hydro, the region could have enough geothermal resources to host a 25MW demonstration plant, and over time “the potential of hundreds of megawatts of generation”. The Mid West region, a booming mining province, has been cited as a potential hot spot for renewable technologies such as geothermal and solar.

But the geothermal program has foundered, and may lose more than $12 million in proposed government funding support, according to Green Rock, because AWE had withdrawn because the region did “not provide the hydrocarbon value it requires to continue with the project.”

Plans for another well had been abandoned, Green Rock said, because AWE was concerned that it lay within an area adjacent to a public drinking water resource.

Green Rock said it was disappointed with the decision because the wells were in areas that were highly prospective for geothermal resources. The wells did not require fracking and were not considered a risk to water resources.

Green Rock had teamed up with AWE to share costs, and it was now unlikely to gain the funds it required to match and access grants promised by state and federal government.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/wa-g...k-of-oil-41982

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April 18, 2014
Eleven states generated electricity from nonhydro renewables at double U.S. average



About 6.2% of total U.S. electricity supplies in 2013 were generated from nonhydro renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal, up from 5.4% in 2012. But 11 states produced electricity at more than twice the national average from these sources—accounting for between 14% and 32% of their net electric generation—according to preliminary 2013 generation data in EIA's Electric Power Monthly report.

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=15911

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SkyFuel's Parabolic Trough in Stillwater Hybrid Geothermal Plant
Published on 23 April 2014

SkyFuel, Inc. is providing the parabolic trough solar field being integrated into the heating loop of Enel Green Power (EGP) North America's Stillwater geothermal power plant.

The solar field is designed to return the temperature of the brine from the geothermal wells to its original design point and thus recapture the full capacity and economic value of the existing turbine generator. All equipment for the solar troughs has been delivered and the system is expected to be operational by the end of 2014. This will be the world's first commercial plant integrating solar thermal power with geothermal.

http://www.solarnovus.com/skyfuel-s-...ant_N7670.html

Global Geothermal Market Saw Huge 2013 Growth, Says GEA
As U.S. geothermal capacity growth slows, geothermal capacity growth in the rest of the world is on the rise.
Meg Cichon, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com
April 22, 2014 | 4 Comments

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The global geothermal industry had a boom year in 2013, bringing the most capacity online since 1997. The market saw 530 megawatts (MW) commissioned, which brought total global capacity to just over 12,000 MW, holding a steady 4 to 5 percent growth rate, according to the Geothermal Energy Association’s (GEA) 2014 Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report. These projects are located in the U.S., Philippines, Mexico, New Zealand, Germany Kenya, Australia and Turkey.

Looking ahead, there are 12,000 MW in the global pipeline, which refers to projects in phases of exploration or under construction, and 30,000 MW under development, which includes prospects (when a government tenders the property to a company for further exploration). About 10-16 percent, around 1,900 MW, of projects are currently under construction in 15 countries, and if all are completed on schedule, global capacity could reach 13,450 MW by 2017, according to the report.

If international progress stays on track, several countries, such as Indonesia or the Philippines, threaten the U.S.’ title for most nameplate capacity within the next decade.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...th-us-says-gea

Apr 22, 2014
Geothermal Power Installations Grow Most Since 1997

April 22 (Bloomberg) — Geothermal power producers added the most capacity since 1997 last year as developing nations in Asia and other regions seek alternative energy sources, while installation declined in the U.S., according to the Geothermal Energy Association.

The industry added 530 megawatts of new power plants and total installed capacity now exceeds 12 gigawatts worldwide, the Washington-based trade group said today in its annual report. Geothermal power is growing at 4 percent to 5 percent annually.

New U.S. capacity fell 43 percent from 2012 to 85 megawatts as low prices for natural gas and inadequate transmission infrastructure helped curb demand for geothermal power. With more than 3.4 gigawatts in operation, the U.S. is the biggest market, and it’s bucking the global trend. Almost 700 geothermal power plants are under development in 76 countries, often in developing nations seeking to exploit clean sources of power to drive economic growth.

“The U.S. is in a very different position than many of these other countries that are developing,” Karl Gawell, the group’s executive director, said today during a conference call.

Demand is highest in developing African and Asian nations that need utility-scale power, Gawell said. The Philippines is the No. 2 geothermal market with 1.9 gigawatts, and Indonesia is third with 1.3 gigawatts. Geothermal power plants tap underground pockets of steam, which is piped to the surface where it drives turbines to produce electricity.

The U.S. market is dominated by states including California that are seeking to curb their reliance on fossil fuels. About 80 percent of U.S. capacity is in California.

Global capacity may reach 13.5 gigawatts by 2017, according to the report.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/geot...st-since-1997/

[amor de cosmos]

Oregon Institute of Technology Recognized for Increasing its Use of Geothermal and Solar Energy
April 23, 2014 - 2:01pm

America’s First Geothermally Heated University Campus Adds 3.5 Megawatts of Clean Electricity Generation

WASHINGTON—Today, the Department of Energy recognized the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) for boosting its use of clean energy at the first campus in America to be heated by geothermal energy, achieving a major milestone toward its goal of making all seven campuses in the university system carbon-neutral by 2020. Partially through Energy Department support, the Klamath Falls campus will utilize 1.5 megawatts (MW) of newly installed geothermal capacity combined with a 2 MW solar array, making OIT the first university in North America to generate most—if not all—electrical power from renewable sources.

“The Department’s investments at the Oregon Institute of Technology are another example of how partnerships with academia, industry and the private sector can help cut energy waste and pollution while reducing energy bills,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “OIT’s use of cutting-edge technology and its commitment to a clean energy future help diversify our energy supply while also bringing us closer to the Administration’s goal of doubling renewable energy for a second time by 2020.”

The school’s Geo-Heat Center has been tapping its geothermal resources to heat campus buildings for nearly fifty years. Beginning in 2008, the Energy Department helped fund further development of the geothermal resources beneath the campus and supported the purchase of an initial 280 kilowatt (kW) geothermal power system. By 2010, the small binary unit was producing power for the school’s facilities, and the groundwork was laid to utilize additional geothermal energy through an Energy Department investment of $3.5 million, with a matching cost-share by the university.

http://www.energy.gov/articles/orego...d-solar-energy

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Geothermal electricity: Alberta's new energy ace card
Friday, April 25, 2014
TODD HIRSCH

Todd Hirsch is the Calgary-based chief economist of ATB Financial and author of The Boiling Frog Dilemma: Saving Canada from Economic Decline.

When most of us think of geothermal energy, we think of the small-scale heat pump systems used to heat a building or a few homes. But large-scale geothermal projects tap heat much deeper in the Earth's crust to produce electricity, a technique that works well in places such as Iceland and the Philippines.

Alberta's geology is not like Iceland's and geothermal energy resources here are, at best, marginal. But the province has a long history of taking marginal resources and making them world leaders.

John Palliser, the geographer and explorer, reported back to the British Parliament in the 1860s that the land here was completely unsuitable for agriculture. Oil was discovered in the 1940s only after a frustrating series of dry holes. And Alberta's bitumen is probably as good a definition as any of a "marginal" resource. But in all three cases - through perseverance and determination - Alberta became a world leader.

Could geothermal electricity be Alberta's next ace card? There are three reasons why developing large-scale geothermal technology could be a fantastic opportunity for the province.

The first is that we already have considerable expertise in drilling through kilometres of rock to get at something valuable. The engineering capabilities in Alberta's oil and gas industry are easily transferable to the technical challenges in deep geothermal projects. In fact, some geothermal systems very much resemble the steam-assisted gravity drainage oil sands designs that were developed and perfected in Alberta.

The second is that it would help diversify Alberta's economy. Since the 1970s, the province has fretted over being too dependent on its petroleum industry. But greater diversity within the energy sector is just as beneficial as diversifying away from the energy sector. This is already happening. Conventional crude in the 1970s has been joined by natural gas, oil sands, shale oil and a variety of renewable energy sources, such as wind. Large-scale geothermal expertise in an area with only marginal geothermal resources could be the next jewel in the energy crown that would lead to greater diversity and less reliance on hydrocarbons.

The third reason has to do with the risk to Alberta's reputation. Companies understand risk to reputation very well and do everything they can to protect and promote their name brand. Alberta should be doing the same. Our energy sector is the target of a growing amount of criticism, much of it undeserved. The province could gain tremendous respect and attention internationally if it became a world leader in clean, renewable energy technology.

Despite these advantages, geothermal power is rarely spoken of in Alberta - something that the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) is trying to fix. There are a couple of hurdles preventing geothermal taking off in a big way.

The main stumbling block is cost. At the moment, the province's cheap and plentiful carbon deposits make coal-fired electricity by far the most cost effective. Viewed only through this lens, it's no contest between coal and geothermal.

But today's cost advantage is not the correct lens through which to view the issue - the lens should be where Alberta's economy wants to be in a decade or two. Coal will still be cheaper than geothermal in 2024, but the rest of the world won't be clamouring for more carbon-fired electricity. It will, however, be seeking the best technologies in clean and renewable energy. As well as selling our hydrocarbons to the rest of the world, we'd have the chance to sell something far more powerful: technological know-how, developed and perfected in Alberta.

https://secure.globeadvisor.com/serv.../RBELHIRSCHATL