The first commercial geothermal power plant in Idaho went online last week in the city of Raft River. Owned by U.S. Geothermal Inc. and built by Ormat Nevada, the power plant began producing power during a test phase last October.
Idaho Power Company declared that commercial operations began January 3 for the plant, which is currently producing around 9 megawatts (MW), according to the owners. They say the power plant is expected to produce an average annual net power output of 13 MW.
U.S. Geothermal currently has a contract to sell up to 10 MW of the plants output to Idaho Power Company. The company says it is in the process of renegotiating that contract to sell the full output.
The power plant at Raft River uses what is known as a closed-loop, binary cycle technology, which uses water heated within the earth to vaporize isopentane, which boils at a lower temperature than water. The isopentane vapor then drives a turbine, which generates power, before being condensed and returned to the geothermal heat exchanger.
This binary cycle technology was first tested at the Raft River site from 1980 to 1982 as part of a Department of Energy demonstration project.
A new report from the Geothermal Energy Association states that the binary cycle technology revolutionized the geothermal power industry by allowing medium-temperature geothermal resources to produce electricity.
The report, "The State of Geothermal Technology – Part II: Surface Technology," explains several other new and under-utilized technologies, which it says could also have a significant impact on the industry.
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