Ongoing debate on new legislation to support geothermal in California
Geothermal plant at the Geysers, California/ U.S. (source: ThinkGeoEnergy, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas
25 Aug 2014
Senate Bill 1139 that would require California's utilities to buy geothermal generated power is awaiting vote and creating controversy in the West Coast.
There is still much controversy around SB 1139, they new piece of legislation that would require utilities to buy geothermal energy in order to meet the demands for a minimum of renewable energy in California.
According to a local news source, the senate bill would “require investor-owned utilities such as PG&E and other electricity retailers, including Sonoma Clean Power, to collectively buy 500 megawatts of geothermal electricity from plants that begin construction after Jan 1. The state Energy Commission would decide how much each utility must buy.”
However, some are saying that by forcefully mandating the use of geothermal can incur into heavy costs to the taxpayer and affect the productivity of californian companies. Other voices mention that there are other renewable energy sources from where to add the necessary power to meet the renewable energy demands and that by this piece of legislation favour geothermal energy exclusively.
The bill is awaiting vote in the Assembly and we will follow the development of SB 1139 closely.
Source: The Press Democrat Website
