Geothermal powers green ambitions of utility in California
Geothermal plant at the Geysers, California/ U.S. (source: ThinkGeoEnergy, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas
3 Jun 2014
Sonoma County is home to the world’s largest electricity-generating geothermal power resource. A very rare convergence of factors creates The Geysers area.
According to a local news source, Sonoma Country in California is one of the worlds richest areas for geothermal electricity generation. This area is particularly suited due to its geographical situation. In the article its is mentioned that local firms are successfully exploiting such advantages;
“Sonoma Clean Power has contracted for electricity from Calpine Corporation, operators of most of The Geysers. Sonoma Clean Power customers can now select EverGreen, electricity that is 100 percent local geothermal power. For customers that select Sonoma Clean Power’s basic service called “CleanStart,” the electricity mix includes about 15 percent Geysers power.”
In addition to the environmental benefits of geothermal, there are numerous associated economic benefits with having geothermal generation in our community such as good paying jobs, property taxes and royalties.
One further benefit from geothermal is that it allows to expand wind and solar power even further. in the article it is explained that Sonoma Clean Power’s purchase of Geysers power does help catalyze new renewable energy. Every megawatt of Geysers power enables the installation of 3 to 5 megawatts of intermittent power like solar and wind. Industry rules specify a ratio of “baseload” power to intermittent power in a given area to protect customers from blackouts. Geysers power is base-load, meaning it runs around the clock.
For the full article, please follow this link:
Source: North Bay Business Journal
