Technology can boost power generation at geothermal plants by 8%
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| Black Pine Engineering's pilot compressor in California. (Courtesy Black Pine Engineering) |
Last week the student team of Black Pine Engineering from Michigan State University took top honors at the Eastern Midwest regional competition of the Energy Department’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition.
Black Pine Engineering emerged victorious, taking the top student prize of $100,000 for its Woven Wheel System, an advanced turbomachinery system composed of carbon fiber, used for retrofitting geothermal power plants.
Black Pine Engineering emerged victorious, taking the top student prize of $100,000 for its Woven Wheel System, an advanced turbomachinery system composed of carbon fiber, used for retrofitting geothermal power plants.
Geothermal plants waste a portion of well steam due to steam compressors that remove harmful gases. The Black Pine Engineering system replaces current plant equipment with their advanced modular compressors, and eliminating steam loss.
According to Black Pine, the technology can boost power generation at geothermal plants by 8% and increase revenue by more than $280,000 per year per well.
