Mendocino joins partnership exploring geothermal at the Geysers
Wine yards in Sonoma County, California (source: flickr/ Tim Wilson, creative commons)
Carlo Cariaga
13 Dec 2021
Mendocino joins the Lake and Sonoma counties in California in a partnership that seeks to investigate and develop the geothermal resource in the area
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors have unanimously decided to join the Sonoma Lake Mendocino Geothermal Opportunity Zone. The partnership, established by Sonoma Clean Power Authority, will be exploring the geothermal potential of the Lake and Sonoma counties. This area is home to the Geysers Geothermal Resource Area, one of the largest geothermal fields in the world. Sonoma Clean Power was founded by Sonoma County back in 2013 as we reported.
Mendocino County will be joining the Lake and Sonoma counties in the partnership. The Sonoma Clean Power Authority has stated that they have an idea of where geothermal resources might be viable for development considering their proximity to the transmission grid. Based on geologic and existing well data, the most productive areas are likely in the southeast of Mendocino County.
The partnership will also be studying the latest and most efficient technologies for geothermal power generation.
According to Sonoma Clean Power CEO Geof Syphers, the partnership is focusing on geothermal because it is the best option in terms of building a reliable grid. There is also limited potential in the region for biomass or offshore wind. Currently, there are already 17 geothermal plants with a total generation of 6.3 MWh per year operating in the area across Lake and Sonoma counties.
The initiative of the partnership is in line with the goal of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of generating 100% clean electricity in California by 2045.
“We’re also focused on what comes after that,” commented Syphers. “And I think the GeoZone effort is something that I want to convey as a long game. We want to use the right technologies that can scale. We want to look at regions that are outside of the Geyser’s complex. We want to look at very small footprint plants.”
Source: The Mendocino Voice
