Holding this geothermal program in Reno has sparked conversations with the locals because Nevada is one of the top states in renewable energy, and the Reno area is the Nevada gold mine for geothermal energy. Just 15 minutes from the Peppermill Hotel is the Steamboat Complex, where several geothermal power plants are operated in a system that together produces over 80 MW of power.
A highlight for me was taking the short trip to see Steamboat. My tour guide was Dan Fleischmann, pictured at right, of Ormat Technologies (the company that runs the complex). He was informative and insightful, providing an insider's look into several of the separate setups. He explained that Steamboat is really an ideal situation. From the surface, the hills provide an uneven surface, making it easy to envision the fractured rock beneath - essential for geothermal production. Because there are many plants in one location, they intertwine and work together. Dan took me to the Galena 3, which came online this year, and the Richard Burdett - both binary plants.Since this was my first visit to a geothermal plant, I was excited to see first-hand how it works, as hot water and fractured rock, the key elements of geothermal production, are transformed into electricity with no emissions and only a dull hum from cooling towers - a far cry from smoky, noisy plants I've seen in the past.
Water is taken from the production well, and the brine water is separated and returned to the ground:
The hot water flows through separate pipes:
And is cooled to produce steam:
Steam from the production well runs the turbine:
The turbine powers the generator:
And the electricity is transmitted to the grid:
...and taken across the desert to provide clean and efficient electricity to utilities.
Thanks for the tour, Dan!
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