Geodynamics is planning to invest US$ 5 million into geothermal research over the next five years. Having successfully completed their test project in Cooper Basin (the proof of concept projects for [staviti naziv procesa]), the company wants the industry to go further in refining the technology.
The investment is part of the Geothermal Technology Plan (GTP) which is designed to leverage private and public sector funding, and influence a more rapid development of geothermal technology. Beginning in 2009, the GTP will provide funding for programs for technology advancement in cooperation with Australian and international research institutions, but also through global geothermal bodies.
Enel Green Power inaugurated two geothermal power plants in Nevada (US), on April 17. The total capacity of the two plants is 65 MW, which is enough to power about 40,000 households, generating some 400 TWh annualy. The plants are also a significant move towards achieving Nevada's energy goal which is to generate 20% of electricity from renewable resources by 2015.
The addition of the new plants, Stillwater and Salt Wells, quadruples the total amount of geothermal electricity produced by Enel Green Power in the US.
Both plants are medium enthalpy plants, which means water pumped from underground is at temperatures between 130 and 150 degrees Celsius. The heat from the heated water is transferred onto a working fluid (in this case isobutane), which in turn powers steam turbine generators. Water is returned underground, and the working fluid remains in the closed loop process, eliminating the possilibility of leaking into the environment. Additional benefits of these two plants come to the local community, in form of 25 permanent jobs, after having created more than 300 temporary jobs during construction earlier.
Enel Green Power also has installations in Italy (Tuscany, about 700 MW), but also in South and Central America (Chile, El Salvador).
We just covered the efforts of the Indonesian government on creating conditions for geothermal power development, and we already have a major player entering the arena. Energy Development Corporation, a Philippines based company specializing in geothermal power, has opened a representative branch in Indonesia in order to strengthen the company's presence on that market. Employees of the new branch will have a task to identify and explore possibilities for geothermal projects in Indonesia.
According to Paul Aquino, EDC CEO and chairman, the rules have changed – foreign corporations are allowed access to geothermal resources in Indonesia now, and EDC is sending teams to explore possibilities.
EDC is the largest geothermal power producer in the Phillippines, and will now have a chance to expand its operations to tap into a very large geothermal potential in Indonesia, estimated to be about 20 GW of geothermal power. Four potential sites for geothermal power plants have already been identified, and there are hundreds more available.
The Indonesian government has decided to set its purchasing prices for geothermal energy to be between 8 and 9 cents US per kWh. The state electricty company PLN will be paying the set prices for all geothermal power generated by other investors who choose to develop geothermal power projects in Indonesia.
This price announcement is a welcome first step in creating an investment environment in the Indonesian geothermal sector. It will allow investors to make benefit calculations. The set prices were established taking into account investment costs in both the upstream and downstream sectors.
Indonesia's geothermal potential is estimated at more than 27 GW, with only about 1.1 GW developed to date, according to this article. Let's not forget that Indonesia is located in one of the world's geologically most active regions, abundant with geothermal energy. The country has more than 129 active volcanoes.
This is not exactly news, since Nikola Tesla has discovered the Tesla Turbine some 100 years ago. Basically, the turbine uses viscosity and fluid adhesion to convert fluid energy into mechanical energy (torque). Unlike traditional turbines, which have blades and are either "reaction" or "action" turbines, the Tesla Turbine works completely differently. Latest research has shown that it would be the best machine for harnessing geothermal energy. Underground salt-brine is found in many locations all over the world, and if tapped, using the Tesla Turbine, can represent a significant resource for future energy needs on the global scale. The method has been refined, after early unsuccessful developments, by oil companies who needed a way to harness underground heat-energy. For example, currently the Salton Sea in California, US, has enough geothermal energy stored in salt-brine to meet 20 times the electrical needs of the whole United States.
Only the Tesla Turbine is durable enough to take on this challenge – there are no blades, the principle is not pressure energy, it's viscosity and adhesive forces, which altogether allows the turbine to work with fluids containing solid particles, which would simply be too abrasive for traditional turbines. Jeffrey Hayes, former Rockwell engineer, discusses the ins and outs of the Tesla Turbine in this video:
Even though this is two years old, with the recent renewable energy research boom, we thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to remind ourselves. If you're interested in finding out a bit more about the subject, check out this page.
Find a geological hotspot and inject some water under high pressure, and you've got an enhanced geothermal system. The method is not new, but it hasn't been proven viable, until now. Geodynamics has successfully performed a test in South Australia's Cooper Basin. They injected water under high pressure into a geological formation, known to have high tempertures. The injected water cooled the surrounding rocks creating cracks, and forming an underground geothermal reservoir. In order to tap that reservoir, they had to drill another nearby well. Once injected through one well, the water passes through heated rocks, accumulating heat, and comes out through the other well. The company has announced its "proof of concept". Geodynamic has demonstrated these key elements:
- Resource definition
- Ability to drill and complete wells
- Ability to hydraulically stimulate fractures
- Ability to develop a substantial reservoir volume
- Achievement of well productivity and injectivity
- Confirming fluid circulation between production and injection wells
- Forecasting resource degradation
- Mitigation of currently identified operational constraints
- Absence of adverse environmental impacts
Geodynamics achieved about 15 kg/s of steam. Further modelling of the reservoir showed that at flows around 70 kg/s, the concept would be able to produce more than 40 MW (thermal), for 20 years. The next step for the company is to make a test facility that would produce 1 MW of electricity. Once testing is done, the company is planning to build a commercial-scale geothermal power plant, which is planned to be operational in 2012.
Geodynamics is planning to invest US$ 5 million into geothermal research over the next five years. Having successfully completed their test project in Cooper Basin (the proof of concept projects for [staviti naziv procesa]), the company wants the industry to go further in refining the technology.
We just covered the efforts of the Indonesian government on 
