Utah geothermal plant runs into cold-water problem

[phantom power]

This plant was named after Orrin Hatch.

Yet six months after Raser flipped the switch on the plant and began generating power, the company is buying almost as much electricity to keep the place running as the plant is producing.

The problem: The plant can't operate at full capacity because its production wells are producing geothermal water that isn't hot enough, even though its temperature is higher than the 180 degrees Raser initially said it would need.

...

The facility uses a new technology that has been described as similar to an air-conditioning system that runs in reverse. Hot water goes in and is used to heat a fluid that turns a turbine. Kilowatts and cooled water come out.

At full capacity, Raser contends the plant will produce around 14 megawatts of electricity -- 10 megawatts will be sold to Anaheim, and 4 will be used to run the plant and the pumps on its geothermal wells.

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_13360860

[ensho]

1. all that money down a luke warm drain

nt

[damntexdem]

2. Sort of throws cold water on one idea.

But other geothermal designs do work, and have long produced electricity.

[pscot]

3. They buy electricity to boil the water

to drive the turbines so they can produce electricity. Brilliant. I wonder why no-one thought of this sooner.

[Iterate]

4. Something here doesn’t quite pass the smell test

As far as the plant mentioned in the article – the problem seems to be a combination of ordinary fine-tuning of a geothermal plant and some blunders made in the drilling and construction. Completion of the next well, added well casings, and some pipe insulation probably will (as the company claims) get them up to the target production within six months or so. Still, even for a pilot/small production plant, they seem to have made some quite original mistakes.

The company that is building it, Raser Technologies, is probably better known for building a hybrid Hummer and being friends of Arnold and Hatch. They’re top heavy with expertise in finance, hype, and Republican/Wall Street connections; they seem to be a little light in technical expertise. They didn’t exist before 2002, had never built a geothermal plant, never innovated anything, and have assets that consist of a "Symetron™ technology" hybrid motor patent, some geothermal leases, and little else. I can’t imagine how they could have gotten the contracts. Now they’re $100M in debt, have no cash and their stock price has tanked. It looks to me as if the entire design and construction of the project went to sub-contractors – and that could help explain why the final cost to Anaheim of $78 per megawatt hour is higher than other EGS plants.

The latest SEC Quarterly:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1103078/000119312509170762/d10q.htm

TVA anyone?

[excess_3]

5. follow the money

they sell electricity at $78 per megawatt-hour to brainless chumps.

they buy electricity at commercial rates from the usual sellers.


look here for commercial rates, the biggest number I see is 40 bucks,
and that is on peak, off peak will be less.
http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/energyprices.html

[kristopher]

7. Thanks; good information. nt

[NNadir]

6. Other than that, it works great!!!!

Reminds me of the old joke, "...other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"