What in the world do polar bears and elephants have to do with renewable energy? Lots with a creative use of geothermal energy at the Oregon Zoo where an underground heating-cooling system will improve energy efficiency. Polar bears like it cool and elephants like it hot and with the help of “Slinky” or a geothermal loop, the two endangered species …
Western US Slowly Adopts Geothermal Energy
California has been the leading geothermal energy state in the U.S. but according to a recent Today in Energy published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) other western states are slowing adopting geothermal energy. There are currently 64 operating conventional geothermal power plants in the U.S., accounting for nearly 2,700 megawatts (MW) of total capacity at the end of 2013 …
Renewable Energy Continues to Gain
Renewable energy continues to gain as for the month of July all new U.S. electrical generating capacity put into service was from renewable sources according to the latest “Energy Infrastructure Update“. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Energy Project’s report fond that there was 379 MW of wind installed, 21 MW of solar and 5 MW of hydropower. For …
Geothermal: Technology Beneficial & Affordable
Last week nearly 300 geothermal energy leaders gathered in Reno, Nevada for the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) National Geothermal Summit. The industry discusses many key issues including moving geothermal forward in Nevada; utility perspective on renewable portfolio standards and geothermal; the future of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS); tax incentive perspectives; achieving the potential of the Salton Sea and Salton …
GEA Announces 2014 GEA Honors Winners
In advance of the 2014 GEA Summit to take place in Reno, Nevada on August 5-6, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has announced the winners of their 2014 GEA Honors. The awards, which will be presented during the Summit, recognize companies, projects and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the geothermal industry. The winners were selected in categories including …
Renewable Energy Provides 56% of Electrical Generation
According to the latest “Energy Infrastructure Update” report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Energy Projects, solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower provided 55.7% (1,965 MW of the 3,529 MW total installed) of new installed U.S. electrical generating capacity during the first half of 2014. Solar provided 32.1% (1,131 MW) Wind provided 19.8% (699 MW) Biomass provided 2.5% …
DOE Allocates $31M to Establish FORGE
The Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated up to $31 million to establish a new program: Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE). The field lab will be dedicated to cutting-edge research on enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). EGS are engineered reservoirs, created beneath the surface of the Earth, where there is hot rock but limited pathways through which fluid …
Geothermal Bill Makes Progress in California
The California Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee approved the proposed geothermal legislation S.B. 1139 with a 6-2 vote. Earlier in the week, the Utilities and Commerce Committee also passed the bill, by 8-5. The Senate approved it in May. This bill, should enacted, will strengthen the geothermal industry’s position in the state as it moves to lower carbon energy solutions. “The …
New Geothermal Paper Examines Costs, Benefits
A new paper released by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) examines the public economic costs and benefits of geothermal energy. “The Economic Costs and Benefits of Geothermal Power,” is another viewpoint of the value and affordability of geothermal energy based on an analysis from several government and private sector reports published in 2014. Geothermal power “compares favorably with other technologies …
California Celebrates Geothermal Awareness Day
Today is Geothermal Awareness Day in California and the geothermal industry is participating with several activities throughout the state including Sacramento, the state’s capitol. On this day, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) is making a call for people to submit entries for the GEA Honors awards program, which recognizes the contributions made by companies and individuals in the past year …