Nevada Plans to Harness It’s Huge Geothermal Potential
Filed Under: Environmental News, Green Technology on June 12, 2009
The western United States, beginning at about the center point of the nation around North Dakota and drawing a line semi-diagonally down to where New Mexico meets the tip of Texas at the Rio Grande and looking west has a huge amount of geothermal potential.
No state has more of that than Nevada does. Looking at the map of geothermal activity, you can see that Nevada is one giant red spot just begging to be capitalized on.
That big red blog that is Nevada means geo temperatures that are above 100C. Holy hot, Batman!
A company called Nevada Geothermal Power (how original) plans to harness this potential and turn it into almost-free electricity. Electricity created with almost no energy input from humans, that is.
Pretty awesome.
The company has three properties in Nevada, in the areas of Blue Mountain, Pumpernickel, and Black Water. They’ve also got one in Oregon at Crump Geyser, just north of the Nevada border.
Since geothermal has about the same up-front costs as traditional power plants, doesn’t require input (i.e. coal, gas) to be shipped or piped in, and much lower operating costs than traditional plants, it has great potential for being not just green, but renewable and easily sustainable. Oh, and cheap. Can’t forget that part!
This graphic shows a nice representation of how the whole process works, if you’re not familiar with geothermal as a power source. Think of it as a nuclear power plant without the hazards, waste, or giant cooling towers.
Or depleted uranium leftovers, spent fuel rods, and expensive uranium energy source with all of its mining horrors.
Sort of like a hydro-electric plant without the dam, I guess. Where this is possible, it’s likely the most sustainable and non-impacting way to create power with zero emissions and little waste.
Way to go Nevada Geothermal Power! Here in Wyoming, we have wind, clean coal, and natural gas out the wazoo. In Nevada they have really frikkin’ hot dirt. :) Use what you got in the best way you can!
