Tag: geothermal

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , , , , , , ,

California reaches new record clean energy milestone

Paul Rogers, BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

California has hit a new record for clean energy.

Solar, wind, hydropower and other carbon-free sources made up 67% of the state’s retail electricity supply in 2023, the most recent year that data is available, according to new statistics released Monday by the California Energy Commission.

The total is an increase from 2022, when it was 61%. And it exceeds the prior record of 64%, set in 2019.

Under a state law signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 aimed at reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change, California is required to reach 100% renewable and carbon-free electricity by 2045.

Solar, wind, geothermal, large hydropower, biomass and nuclear energy are allowed to count under the law.

The new milestone comes as renewable energy is facing several headwinds. Earlier this month, Republicans in Congress passed and President Trump signed a bill that removes and reduces many of the tax breaks, federal grants and other incentives that were put in place by President Biden for states, private companies and homeowners to expand renewable energy and electric vehicles.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/california-reaches-new-record-clean-energy-milestone/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags ,

Next-gen geothermal power sees early results at The Geysers

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

“This is a breakthrough — not just for our team, but for the future of geothermal,” said Rob Klenner, president of GreenFire Energy..”

California’s goal of producing more round-the-clock power from The Geysers may be in reach, as a demonstration there of next-generation geothermal energy technology has become operational and is said to be generating promising early results.

The project is part of a multipronged effort to increase electrical output for the North Bay and throughout California from what’s still the world’s largest geothermal energy field despite declining steam production at the plants in the Mayacamas range between Sonoma and Lake counties.

Oklahoma City-based GreenFire Energy last month announced that its first commercial demonstration system, installed in a low-output well at The Geysers, is now fully operational. The well, previously nearing idle status, is producing sustained flow rates of 300–350 gallons per minute with unexpectedly high-output temperatures of 310 degrees Fahrenheit, all within a closed-loop system.

GreenFire’s patented “GreenLoop” system relies on pipe-enclosed fluid that goes down into the well cool, gets heated then comes back up to release the heat into a electricity-generation system. This fluid has a lower boiling point than water, requiring less heat to produce steam.

Read more at https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/article/greenfire-calpine-geysers-electricity/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , , ,

Op-Ed: Looking locally for renewable energy

Geof Syphers, PRESS DEMOCRAT

As the new federal administration’s policies begin to unfold, it’s clear that real climate solutions will primarily be driven at the local level. It’s also clear that shifting from fossil fuels toward renewable electricity is made more difficult in California because of our sky-high electric rates. Community-owned power providers like Sonoma Clean Power are tackling both challenges — climate change and cost.

One way Sonoma Clean Power works to keep electric bills in check is by advocating at the California Public Utilities Commission for more effective wildfire prevention expenditures. We believe PG&E should focus on the most critical repairs first, not the easiest or most lucrative. We also believe PG&E needs to better justify any new rate increases, which is why we’ve started carefully checking their math. By advancing solutions to make rates reasonable, we can help everyone afford the switch to electric appliances and vehicles.

Los Angeles Times columnist Sammy Roth suggested shifting the expense of undergrounding power lines from electric bills to the state’s general fund. Such a move could lower overall costs for both low-income and most middle-income customers, making electric appliances more appealing and helping us reduce fossil fuel use faster. Sonoma Clean Power is studying how to make this approach viable, because affordable rates are essential for speeding up climate progress.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/opinion/sonoma-county-power-renewable-green-energy/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , , ,

Geothermal expansion effort at The Geysers seeks help from California lawmakers on speeding up permits

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

California’s effort to generate much more round-the-clock clean energy from geothermal resources such as The Geyers area straddling Sonoma and Lake counties seems to be running out of steam because of the state’s permitting system.

One of the three initial partners in the geothermal opportunity zone (GeoZone) effort promoted by Sonoma Clean Power has acquired its first parcel of land, known as Pocket Ranch.

However, the permitting process in California is proving to be a significant obstacle for Chevron New Energies to move forward with finding out what potential there is for next-generation geothermal technologies that aim to generate more energy using far less water.

“They are putting that into a slow-moving process, because they’re finding that California’s permitting process for the exploratory phase is adding too much cost and risk relative to all the other western states,” said Geof Syphers, CEO of Sonoma Clean Power, the public electricity supplier for Sonoma and Mendocino counties, that draws a portion of its renewable power from The Geysers.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/north-bay/sonoma-geysers-geothermal-energy-regulation/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , , , ,

New bill critical to unlocking advancement toward increased geothermal power generation

Mary Callahan, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The much-anticipated statute is the key to unlocking expanded development of clean, renewable geothermal energy in and around The Geysers, officials say.

An obscure state bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week could not seem less important. Or interesting.

Let’s be honest.

It describes how counties can now serve as lead agencies for environmental review of geothermal exploratory projects in California. Yawn.

But local officials say the much-anticipated statute is the key to unlocking expanded development of clean, renewable geothermal energy in and around The Geysers, advancing green energy goals here and across the West through more efficient and sustainable next-gen technologies that could be incubated here.

At stake is the chance for Sonoma Clean Power, the majority electrical supplier in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, to phase out remaining dependence on aged, highly polluting natural gas power plants that plug the supply gap when nightfall and unsuitable weather reduce availability of solar and wind power.

New geothermal energy approaches proposed for use in the Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino region could ensure a round-the-clock supply of renewable, 100% emission-free power for local consumers and for folks outside the area in the future, as well.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/geysers-geothermal-newsom-sonoma-clean-power/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , ,

3 new-tech geothermal plans to be considered for boosting power at The Geysers

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Three cutting-edge technologies that could give California a big boost in always-generating emission-free electricity are being eyed for pilot projects in and around massive geothermal field straddling Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.

The Sonoma Clean Power board, made up of public officials from city and county governments the utility serves in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, on March 2 is set to consider cooperation agreements with Canada-based Eavor Technologies, Chevron New Energies and Salt Lake City-based Cyrq Energy. Each agreement calls for building a demonstration power project, each capable of generating up to 20 megawatts If successful, each plan would scale up to production of 200 megawatts.

The agency’s Community Advisory Committee on Feb. 16 recommended board approval of the agreements.

If the three pilot projects are successful, the full-scale projects producing a combined 600 megawatts would move California toward its goal of 1,160 megawatts of new geothermal power generation over the next five years. It would also increase by 85% the current roughly 700 megawatts of power output from existing plants in The Geysers.

Read more at https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/article/3-new-tech-geothermal-plans-to-be-considered-for-boosting-power-at-the-geys/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , , , , ,

In this Nov. 12, 2020, file photo, traffic moves on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) Golden Gate Bridge tolls are going up in July. Here’s how much Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma counties considering big geothermal power expansion

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

A plan to significantly expand geothermal electricity production in the North Bay — in a bid to create more 24/7 renewable production to ease California’s move into a zero-emissions energy over the next 24 years — is getting more buy-in from local officials.

The area already is home to the world’s largest geothermal power station, The Geysers, which produces almost half of California’s electricity production from that energy source, according to Calpine Corp., which runs most of the plants there. Now, Sonoma Clean Power, a community choice aggregation utility that serves upwards of 230,000 customers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, wants to nearly double that output.

It hopes to spur more investment in smaller-sized, low-water-usage plants, scattering them across much of Lake County and parts of Mendocino and Sonoma counties to bring power production closer to residential and business customers.

To accomplish the plan, Sonoma Clean Power is proposing a geothermal opportunity zone, or GeoZone. On Dec. 7, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to join the zone.

Read more at https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/article/north-bay-counties-consider-big-geothermal-power-expansion/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & EnergyTags , , , , , ,

Chile’s energy transformation is powered by wind, sun and volcanoes 

Ernesto Londoño, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Cerro Pabellón, Chile — It looks and functions much like an oil drilling rig. As it happens, several of the men in thick blue overalls and white helmets who operate the hulking machine once made a living pumping crude.

But now they are surrounded by snowcapped volcanoes, laboring to breathe up here at 14,760 feet above sea level as they draw steam from the earth at South America’s first geothermal energy plant.

With the ability to power roughly 165,000 homes, the new plant is yet another step in Chile’s clean energy transformation. This nation’s rapidly expanding clean energy grid, which includes vast solar fields and wind farms, is one of the most ambitious in a region that is decisively moving beyond fossil fuels.

Latin America already has the world’s cleanest electricity, having long relied on dams to generate a large share of its energy needs, according to the World Bank.

But even beyond those big hydropower projects, investment in renewable energy in Latin America has increased 11-fold since 2004, nearly double the global rate, according to a 2016 report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization. Chile, Mexico and Brazil are now among the top 10 renewable energy markets in the world.

So as Latin America embraces greener energy sources, government officials and industry executives in the region have expressed a sense of confusion, even bewilderment, with the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the climate change commitments contained in the Paris Agreement, declare an end to the “war on coal” and take aim at American environmental regulations.

Read more at: Chile’s Energy Transformation Is Powered by Wind, Sun and Volcanoes – The New York Times

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & Energy, Local Organizations, Sustainable LivingTags , , , Leave a comment on Sonoma Clean Power plugs in big geothermal, solar deals

Sonoma Clean Power plugs in big geothermal, solar deals

James Dunn, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Startup power utility Sonoma Clean Power on Wednesday reported two long-term contracts for geothermal and solar power.

The first contract is for 10 years of geothermal power from Calpine’s Geysers facilities in northeastern Sonoma County. The deal provides steadily rising volumes reaching 50 megawatts in 2018. By then the total energy coming from that source will amount to 23 percent of Sonoma Clean Power’s mix.

The second contract is for 20 years of solar power from Recurrent Energy, adding 40 megawatts to the agency’s previous purchase of 30 megawatts for a total of 70 megawatts.
The alternative-power agency claims rates about 4 percent lower than PG&E’s rates. The new geothermal and solar deals will help the agency keep its rates low into the future. Sonoma Clean Power provides electric generation service to customers in much of Sonoma County, with about 22,000 residential customers.

In December, an additional 140,000 customer accounts will be eligible to receive the agency’s cleaner mix of power. All cities in Sonoma County participate in the program except Petaluma and Rohnert Park, where a vote on whether to allow participation in the agency will be taken by Jan. 31. Healdsburg has its own municipal utility and is not a part of Sonoma Clean Power.

Read more via Sonoma Clean Power plugs in big geothermal, solar deals – North Bay Business Journal – North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties – Archive.

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Climate Change & Energy, WaterTags , , , Leave a comment on Idaho firm acquiring Geysers site: wastewater pumping brings renewed potential to geothermal field

Idaho firm acquiring Geysers site: wastewater pumping brings renewed potential to geothermal field

Eric Gneckow, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

U.S. Geothermal Inc, a geothermal energy company with offices in Boise, Idaho, has announced plans to acquire a late stage development at the Geysers that has shown promise for enough steam production to power up to 26,000 homes.

Currently under ownership of Reno, Nev.-based Ram Power Corp., the project, encompassing 3,800 acres, includes permits and design plans for a proposed power plant and five production-ready geothermal steam wells. U.S. Geothermal announced an agreement to buy the project for $6.4 million in cash, acquiring assets and subsidiaries associated with its development and leasing of related lands.

via Idaho firm acquiring Geysers site – North Bay Business Journal – North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties – Archive.