Energy
Boise Among World’s Top Cities For Geothermal Potential
The geothermal future of ten notable cities, including Boise, were a hot topic in Copenhagen.By Joseph Friedrichs, 12-15-09
During the United Nations Climate Change Conference held last week in Copenhagen, Denmark, world leaders agreed geothermal heat is part of the energy solution for cities and countries around the world. Among the cities discussed at length was Boise, and it seems the geothermal future is burning bright in Idaho.
Not only was Boise among the featured cities, it made the Geothermal Energy Association ten leading geothermal cities around the globe.
According to reports from the conference, Boise made the list for several reasons: the city’s public works department has the largest direct use geothermal system in the U.S.; the city’s geothermal system injects 100 percent of the water back into the aquifer; and the fact the Idaho State Capitol is among several buildings in the Capitol Mall area that are heated by the system.
This week, US Geothermal, a Boise-based organization, signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Idaho Power for sale of up to 25 megawatts from the Neal Hot Springs project in eastern Oregon. The deal reflects growing interest by electric utilities in negotiating long term power supply contracts with the geothermal industry. In other terms, it is a good thing.
Neal Hot Springs is currently being developed using an air-cooled power plant with an annual average net output of 22 megawatts.
In addition to Boise, other cities the International Geothermal Association recognized as examples of world leaders in geothermal municipal development include:
Copenhagen, Denmark: Having set a target of zero carbon emissions by 2025, Copenhagen is a leader in clean energy alternatives and could meet 50 percent of its district heating needs by using its geothermal resources.
Reykjavik, Iceland: With a high level of geothermal activity and insightful developments by the Icelanders over the years, 87 percent of Iceland’s buildings are heated geothermally.
Reno, Nevada: City and business leaders have been encouraged by the success and remarkable potential of the energy source and are marketing Reno as a geothermal center for industry activities, corporate offices and research facilities.
Perth, Australia: Perth has declared its intention to enter the geothermal community with a new twist — as the very first geothermally cooled city with commercial geothermal-powered heating and air-conditioning units.
Xianyang, China: Recently deemed “China’s Official Geothermal City,” in the largest emissions-producing nation in the world, Xianyang is helping China achieve the goal they set of 16 percent renewables by 2020 — up from 7 percent in 2005. Also of note, Beijing famously used geothermal pumps to power the 2008 Olympics.
Madrid, Spain: Madrid’s regional government is on board with six renewable energy projects, one of which is a 8-megawatt geothermal district heating project.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi: The city’s goal is to function 100 percent on renewable energy; a shining example to the rest of the world. The city plans to obtain half of its power from geothermal resources.
Klamath Falls, Oregon: Geothermal has been used for space heating since the turn of the century and for a variety of uses including heating homes, schools, businesses, swimming pools, and for snow melt systems for sidewalks and highway. In addition, geothermal provides Oregon Institute of Technology’s 11-building campus all of its heating needs.
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"The drawback is that such enhanced geothermal systems can induce earthquakes. The initial stimulation creates micro-earthquakes that might be felt at the surface or even produce damage. And the pressurized water forced into the rock could interact with existing deep faults, generating potentially large quakes. The probability of this happening is not large, but needs to be considered. In addition, geothermal energy is more profitable if it generates electricity and heating at the same time. That means that customers have to be close to the energy source, so it is attractive for operators to develop geothermal-energy sites in urban areas, where earthquakes are more problematic."