At the northern edge of the Geysers, the world's largest geothermal complex, which sprawls over nearly 40 square miles north of Santa Rosa, Calif., Houston-based power company Calpine is conducting an experiment. On the surface, not much sets the project apart from the 18 ridge-top power plants and dozens of other drilling platforms here, most of which Calpine owns. The site, high on a sun-baked hillside, is home to a 110-foot drill rig surrounded by a couple of trailers and a mass of machinery. But two miles underground, something big is happening.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
USA, California:
New Geothermal Technology Could Edge out Fossil Fuels (High Country News)
At the northern edge of the Geysers, the world's largest geothermal complex, which sprawls over nearly 40 square miles north of Santa Rosa, Calif., Houston-based power company Calpine is conducting an experiment. On the surface, not much sets the project apart from the 18 ridge-top power plants and dozens of other drilling platforms here, most of which Calpine owns. The site, high on a sun-baked hillside, is home to a 110-foot drill rig surrounded by a couple of trailers and a mass of machinery. But two miles underground, something big is happening.
At the northern edge of the Geysers, the world's largest geothermal complex, which sprawls over nearly 40 square miles north of Santa Rosa, Calif., Houston-based power company Calpine is conducting an experiment. On the surface, not much sets the project apart from the 18 ridge-top power plants and dozens of other drilling platforms here, most of which Calpine owns. The site, high on a sun-baked hillside, is home to a 110-foot drill rig surrounded by a couple of trailers and a mass of machinery. But two miles underground, something big is happening.
