Plans for significant geothermal expansion at the Geysers gain steam
Geothermal Plant by Calpine in The Geysers, California (source: flickr/ thinkgeoenergy, creative commons)
With an approach of more decentralized geothermal development closer to customers in a specific GeoZone, local utility aims to significantly expand geothermal power generation in Northern California.
As reported locally, plans to significantly expand geothermal power generation at the Geysers geothermal fields in Northern California seeing more buy in from local counties.
With an overall renewed push for renewable energy, geothermal receives a lot of attention as a baseload solution to the clean energy future of the state. The Geysers produce today around 50% of the geothermal electricity generated in California, according to Calpine. Community choice aggregation utility Sonoma Clean Power announces plans for doubling that output.
The utility hopes to gain more investment into “smaller-sized, low-water-usage plants”, placing them across Lake county and in parts of the counties of Mendocino and Sonoma. The goal would be to bring power generation closer to the demand of residential and business customers.
To support these plans, Sonoma Clean Power is proposing a GeoZone, as opportunity zone that helps facilitate development. The local county board of supervisors of Mendocino and voted to join the proposed zone. The goal is to gather support from other countries and to then launch a Request for Proposals from private partners to help with new technology and identify the locations for pilot plants.
With specific zones set up, investors into project development can secure federal tax credits for the required grid infrastructure and research of new technologies. For more see the linked article below.
Source: North Bay Business Journal via Sonoma Clean Power