Enel Green Power North America is combining solar and geothermal at its Stillwater Geothermal plant in Churchill, County, Nevada.
This is the first renewable energy project in the US that combines base load geothermal energy with the peak capacity of solar.
Combining the technologies takes advantage of each of their strengths, providing a better match for electricity demand in the communities it serves. The projects can also share power lines and operational facilities, reducing costs and environmental impact.
Enel received final approval to build a solar plant on 240 acres next to its geothermal site. Over 81,000 polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate 24 MW of peak energy. The geothermal plant has been operating since 2009.
The Stillwater Hybrid facility will sell all the electricity to NV Energy under a long term purchase agreement.
Enel owns two geothermal plants in Churchill County, Nevada – the only geothermal plants in the world that use large scale electric submersible pumps to extract geothermal fluid, which minimize water use.
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Hydroelectric is bad. The dams necessary cause a LOT of entoainmenvrl damage by disrupting the water flow and the habitat or many species. Look up the Colorado River and the Hoover Dam to learn about one of the more controlled issues. There have been many hydroelectric projects, especially in the former USSR that completely destroyed an entire regions ecological system and commerce because of the rerouting of water.I don’t like solar because of the chemicals it takes to produce the photovoltaic cells. Other than that it is on its way to becoming quite efficient and versatile.I haven’t done much research on geothermal, but I think it takes way too much work and disruption of the local environment to be the best option.I like wind the best. I know that some people are worried about wind farms disrupting the flight patterns of migratory birds, and killing birds as well. Therefor, I think it is a great idea to build these farms out at sea, where there is far less bird traffic.So, I think we should primarily use wind power, with solar power being a supplemental option, especially for remote locations, as you can (or will be able to, soon) produce a lot of power on site with a single panel. There is also a lot of interesting research going on with solar power. Scientists are working on a photovoltaic film that could be adhered to car windows and could aid or take the place of a car battery.