Construction of the first geothermal plant in Utah for two decades is expected to produce up to 11 megawatts of electricity this year, enough for about 33,000 people.
"Today we have attained another milestone toward our goal of generating clean renewable electricity from the earth's substantial geothermal resources, which will reduce carbon emissions and produce healthier air for homes and families," said Brent Cook, Raser's chief executive.
"Today we have attained another milestone toward our goal of generating clean renewable electricity from the earth's substantial geothermal resources, which will reduce carbon emissions and produce healthier air for homes and families," said Brent Cook, Raser's chief executive.
The Provo company uses "binary" geothermal technology that passes hot water through a heat exchanger to boil a fluid such as isobutane at lower temperatures than water to create steam. Such plants can be built more quickly and at lower cost than large geothermal plants that pull hot water and steam from the ground, use the steam to drive turbines to create electricity, then return water to the ground.
Many already believe Utah possesses some of the best geothermal reservoirs in the nation, resources that could generate 850 megawatts, enough to meet the needs of 2.6 million people.