Geothermal Declared Most Efficient Alternative

This is an important finding that must shift policy strongly toward geothermal with a vengeance. It was obvious that geothermal combined with a national grid was a natural backbone to North American energy needs. Wind energy could be fed into that same grid as any other source could be. I have been wondering why it has been ignored, but this should end that.

If rapid development is upon us then Nevada is headed for a building boom in power plants that will be mind boggling.

The major advantage of geothermal power is not just the fact that the process is fuel free, it can also be slowed down and ramped up to meet variations in demand and makes it a great partner for wind and solar based systems.

Application of the Reverse Rankin Cycle engine should allow an efficient system without having to dump any process heat back into the environment which is sort of important in Nevada.

Then if we can ever drill deep enough there is both Yellowstone mega volcano and the recently mapped potential Cascadia mega volcano sitting under the Northwest.

Geothermal Energy Most Efficient Renewable Energy Alternative

by Staff WritersNew York NY (SPX) Jul 21, 2009

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Geothermal_Energy_Most_Efficient_Renewable_Energy_Alternative_999.html

As the Obama Administration pushed the energy bill through the House, government organizations and corporations are assessing renewable energy alternatives. Which are the most efficient and improving the fastest?

According to a new study from NYU Stern, geothermal and wind energy are more efficient, and are yielding greater returns on the R and D invested in them, than most other renewable energy alternatives.
NYU Stern Professor Melissa Schilling, an expert in strategic management and technology and innovation management, finds that the cost of generating electricity with geothermal or wind energy is a fraction of the cost of solar energy.

More important, the performance of both is improving much more per dollar of R and D invested in them than solar technologies. This is the first study to explore the trajectory of performance improvement of renewable energy alternatives.

She examined data on government R and D investment and technological improvement and found:
+ Geothermal energy is the most efficient renewable energy alternative and is improving the fastest. Wind energy is second.

+ Fossil fuel technologies are no longer improving (in terms of efficiency) much - if at all. These technologies have likely reached their performance limits, though the government still spends far more on them.

+ Geothermal energy could become cheaper than fossil fuels with R and D spending of as little as $3.3 billion.

+ Both geothermal and wind energy technologies have been underfunded by national governments relative to funding for solar technologies, and government funding of fossil fuel technologies might be excessive given their diminishing performance.

Automotive Thermoelectric Generation

This is one of those items that allow significant incremental improvement on the efficiency of an internal combustion engine. I am sure there are still issues that have prevented this from been done a long time ago.

However, our increased knowledge makes this an attractive point of departure for a useful bit of innovation. Energy efficiency is no problem when you are using the waste heat dumped by a traditional gasoline or diesel engine.

Most do not realize that only around twenty five percent of such an engine’s power is delivered as brake horse power. This has notched up over the past few years, but climbing from 25% to 35% is dramatic in terms of fuel mileage, but it is still leaving a huge amount of energy on the table as thermodynamic wastage.

What made the argument for Reverse Rankin Cycle engines so compelling in large power plants, was that this waste heat, usually at 100C could deliver a theoretical 75% brake horsepower while lowering the temperature to ambient.

You still have the problem of stripping the heat which is hardly minor into the working fluid. But why has no one ever tried? If in fact we transition to engine generator combinations, then such integration means a plausible doubling of the output work. This is one of those cases in which the customer is on a budget and this adjustment is likely a doubling of capital costs. For most, it is easier to simply let the end buyer eat the fuel costs. Yet there is a second generation power plant design protocol here that has been outright ignored to our loss.

Using thermocouples to operate a few key engine components is possibly a simple and cheap way to save on brake horsepower if only because it releases the alternator load and perhaps the load generated by peripherals. 600W is a lot of energy to work with. Too bad it is not enough to also take over the full electrical load, but it is effectively free to the car.

Thermoelectrics to replace car alternators and improve MPG

http://www.gizmag.com/thermoelectric-cars-improve-mpg/10928/

February 9, 2009 Thermoelectrics - the phenomena in which a temperature difference creates an electric potential - have been known about for almost 200 years, but practical applications have not been widespread due to their low energy efficiency. That may all now be about to change as Germany automakers Volkswagen and BMW have developed thermoelectric generators (TEG) that recover waste heat from a combustion engine.

According to a report by Prof. Rowe of the University of Wales in the International Thermoelectric Society, Volkswagen claims 600W output from the TEG under highway driving condition. The TEG-produced electricity meets around 30% of the car’s electrical requirements, resulting in a reduced mechanical load (alternator) and a reduction in fuel consumption of more than 5%.

BMW and DLR (German Aerospace) have also developed an exhaust powered thermoelectric generator that achieves 200 W maximum and has been used successfully for more than 12,000-km road use.

Thermoelectric refrigeration

Thermoelectric have been used for refrigeration utilizing the Peltier effect originally discovered in 1834. An electrical current at the junction of two different metals results in heat being absorbed by one metal and expelled by the other metal. Thermoelectrics can also be used to generate electricity using the Seebeck effect that dates back to 1770. Thermoelectric power generators convert heat energy to electricity. When a temperature gradient is created across the thermoelectric device, a DC voltage develops across the terminals.

Thermoelectric generators

Typical applications for this technology include providing power for remote telecommunications and navigation beacons. A more familiar application is a thermocouple that is a type of temperature sensor that can generate a current proportional to the amount of heat it is exposed to. Thermocouples were used in remote parts of Russian in the 1920s to power radios from a wood fireplace and they also form the basis of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) that use heat from a radioactive material to power deep space satellites. The drawback to all thermocouple based electric generation is that they are very inefficient at between 3-7%.

Automotive thermoelectric generators (ATEG) have been developed intermittently since 1988 when Porsche made a exhaust ATEG capable of 20-30 watts out of a 944 exhaust system but they have never made it past the prototype stage of development.

Paul Evan

Nevada Geothermal Energy

This is taken from a corporate site in the business. My main reason for posting this is the map that shows the extent of available geothermal energy in the USA. It is all about the extent of the resource in Nevada. The whole state is shown to be underlain by available 100C water.

That means saturated steam can be flowed to surface almost everywhere. The power resource is huge and by itself large enough to justify a high power trunk line both to California and to Chicago and points East and South from there.

The picture of the process is also good and the first I have seen with all the features. If the map means anything, then thousands of facilities can be built in with conjunction with Reverse Rankin Engines to convert the waste water heat.

This is a natural energy resource that can be totally clean to operate. As important, it is convenient to work around in Nevada with lots of accessible terrain.

This report also has a lot of reference links at the end.

Geothermal Energy: A Natural Source of Clean Power

Geothermal Brochure - click here to download in pdf format (4.1Mb)

World Geothermal Power Generation 2001 – 2005

By Ruggero Betani - Enel, Generation and Energy Management - Renewable Energy - Geothermal Production

This is a article that was published by special permission in the Geothermal Resource Council Bulletin May/June 2006 issue, Vol. 35, No. 3. This is a review of all the country update papers submitted to the World Geothermal Congress (WGC 2005) from countries in which geothermal electricity is currently being generated. To read more click here to download in pdf format (1.13Mb)Geothermal energy (literally heat from the earth) has become the "green" energy alternative of choice because it is natural, clean, renewable, reliable, efficient and inexpensive to operate. The western U.S.A. has a generous endowment of geothermal potential. Nevada occupies the area of highest crustal heat flow in North America, thanks to increased magmatic activity related to plate tectonics.Today, Nevada is one of the top producers of geothermal power, with 318 MW installed capacity. Geothermal energy provides about 9% of northern Nevada's electricity with 16 power plants operating at 12 geothermal sites. Nevada holds the largest amount of untapped geothermal resources in the US with a potential for 2,500 to 3,700 MW of electricity.

http://www.nevadageothermal.com/i/maps/usgeotherm-map.gif

Geothermal heat can be harnessed for clean electrical power generation wherever there is high heat flow in deep, fractured rock formations and a shallower, non-fractured or sealed caprock.

http://www.nevadageothermal.com/i/maps/caprock.gif

Ground water in the deep fractures becomes heated and rises to form a geothermal reservoir under the cap rock. Production wells are typically drilled one to two km deep to bring the hot water (at least 150°C) up to surface where it flashes to steam. The steam is then used to drive turbines for generating electricity and the residual water is pumped back down injection wells to recharge the reservoir.

· Geothermal Basics
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/geothermal_basics.html

· U.S. Department of Energy - Geothermal
http://www.energy.gov/energysources/geothermal.htm

· Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Geothermal Information and Technology Transfer
http://geoheat.oit.edu

· International Geothermal Association
http://iga.igg.cnr.it/index.php

· Geothermal Energy in California
http://www.energy.ca.gov/geothermal

· Geothermal Energy Association
http://www.geo-energy.org/

· Geothermal Resources Council
http://www.geothermal.org

· Geothermal Education Office
http://www.geothermal.marin.org

· Energy & Geoscience Institute
http://www.egi.utah.edu

· eia Department of Energy - Geothermal
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/geothermal/geothermal.html

· B.C. Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA)
http://www.bcsea.org/sustainableenergy/geothermal.asp

Geothermal Power Progress

These extracts from today’s news release and its corporate site from the public company Nevada Geothermal power Inc. give us a good overview of a specialist sector of the energy production industry. Obviously high quality hot rocks are not a common place occurrence. Their exploitation, however, has clearly been mastered both in Iceland and the USA. This means that with the 2005 advent of a competitive regulatory scheme, we can expect this sector to steadily expand to full build out.

Current estimates suggest that this type of power can supply at least twenty percent of American energy needs. I also suspect that those estimates will turn out to be hopelessly conservative. The reason for that is that once a field is fully developed, it should be simple to drill a second set of production wells simply to a deeper level. As technology improves, several such additional sets of wells might be drilled with very little loss in thermal efficiency. There is a huge amount of heat within the hot rock formation and it travels slowly with plenty more heat trying to move in.

Obviously a modest reduction in formation temperature will open a heat gradient that will accelerate the replacement of any heat removed. This is just another way of saying that at the early stage of exploitation, the system is hugely under engineered for obvious economic reasons and it is not possible to take full advantage of the depth dimension as related costs are climbing rapidly in that direction.

What is quite clear is that the technology and related infrastructure is now straight of the shelf for this industry, and that with incentive driven financing clearly available, we can expect all prime quality geothermal sites to experience a steady build out, not unlike the oil and gas industry. Perhaps we need to describe this type of installation as primary geothermal. The second stage geothermal development will focus on accepting a smaller heat gradient in the production fluid and using the Reverse Rankin Cycle to produce power. As one would expect, the capital cost will also be much higher, and again the place to do this would be at the plant producing primary power. A little bit of giving it one last squeeze.

This means that the next twenty years will see a huge build out of this particular power protocol, since the technical issues are behind us. Or at least decision makers think so.


Thu May 8, 2008
Nevada Geothermal's Blue Mountain Well 58-15 Update

VANCOUVER, B.C., May 8, 2008, Nevada Geothermal Power Inc. (NGP)

(TSX-V: NGP, OTC-BB: NGLPF) announced today the completion of Well 58-15 to a depth of 5706 feet (1740 metres) at a step-out location 0.8 miles (1.2 kilometres) from production Well 26A-14. Upon completion, the well has been confirmed as a producer with geothermal fluid production between 4675 and 5603 feet (1425 and 1708 metres).

Preliminary flow tests indicate that Well 58-15 will be a high-temperature producer. The well flows unassisted at flow rates higher than previous wells and at temperatures greater than 400ºF (200ºC).

Fierce geothermal fluid flow and debris exiting from the well precluded Welaco Well Analysis Group (Welaco) from completing temperature/pressure/spinner (TPS) surveys in the open hole. The deepest Welaco data was at 1820 feet which confirmed a temperature of 404ºF (207ºC) - the highest measured temperature in any well to date at Blue Mountain.

Indications are that Well 58-15 will be as good a producer as other wells reported to date. Currently, a liner is being installed to stabilize the well and the test separator is being modified to accommodate higher flow rates. Subsequently, production testing, including flowing TPS surveys as well as injection testing, will be conducted under the supervision of GeothermEx Inc. to fully determine the production and injection capacity characteristics of Well 58-15.

Nevada Geothermal Power Inc. ( OTCBB: NGLPF, TSX.V: NGP) an emerging renewable energy producer focusing on the development of CLEAN electrical power from high temperature geothermal resources. NGP currently has four geothermal projects which, once developed, could have a cumulative generation capacity of over ~200 MW or enough green energy to meet the annual electrical demand of ~200,000 homes. The four properties: Blue Mountain, Pumpernickel, Black Warrior, all of which are ideally situated in Nevada and Crump Geyser, Oregon.

Blue Mountain Faulkner I (phase 1) geothermal project is on the road to revenue. Some of the highlights are:

20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Nevada Power Company

Large generation interconnection (LGIA) for up to 75 MW approved

Environmental assessment approved (FONSI)

US$140 million construction financing expected to close on or before May 31, 2008

Well field development ongoing

Ormat Technologies, EPC contract: fixed price, guaranteed completion of power plant

TURN ON THE POWER: 4th quarter 2009

Geothermal power benefits:

Geothermal is an economically-viable source of energy

Geothermal is readily available

Geothermal power plants provide reliable base load electricity

Geothermal energy use relies on proven technology with a long operating life

Geothermal benefits from incentives such as tax legislation and regional renewable energy targets.

Rocked by sky-high energy prices and alarmed by the specter of global warming governments around the globe are promoting the development of clean renewable energy such as geothermal. The State of Nevada legislated in 2003 a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) which has rejuvenated Nevada's established geothermal power industry. Oregon and California too have implemented progressive RPS's.

Today, Nevada is one of the top producers of geothermal power, with 308 MW installed capacity. Geothermal energy provides about 9% of northern Nevada's electrical. Nevada has some of the largest untapped geothermal resources in the US with a potential for 2,500 to 3,700 MW of electricity. Wells and springs exist or the entire state, offering extensive opportunity for development of moderate and high-temperature resources for power generation