The first geothermal plant to be built in more than a decade came online this month near Reno, Nevada.
The Galena 1 power plant, constructed by Ormat, will be the first power plant built in conjunction with Nevada’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), which require utilities to supply a portion of their power from renewable energy resources.
According to Dan Schochet, Ormat Vice President, this new plant, along with the other power plants in the Steamboat complex, will generate enough electricity to supply all of the 270 thousand residents of the city of Reno, Nevada.
The operation of the plant will not only generate significant revenue in the form of taxes, as most new geothermal projects will, but it will also offer unique educational opportunities to students at the nearby University of Nevada, Reno Redfield campus, who will be given access to the facility.
According to geothermal experts, the geothermal industry is in a position to expand more than it has in over a decade. 483 megawatts worth of power purchase agreements (PPA) were signed between January and May 2005.
These new projects are located not only in states with existing geothermal electric developments, such as California and Nevada, but also in new states like Arizona and Idaho. These new PPAs are equivalent to the total 2,000 megawatts of wind projects operating throughout California today.
Geothermal uses, considering both direct use and electricity, cover 26 states ? almost as many states as coal facilities are located.