ElectraTherm of Reno, Nevada, USA has commissioned the Power+ Generator™ 4400 in Beppu, Japan. This is the first Power+ Generator in the country and it utilizes geothermal heat to generate fuel-free, emission-free electricity at the site. Commissioned in March, the Power+ runs off low temperature geothermal steam from a small district heating system. The power is sold to the local utility at an attractive feed-in-tariff rate for renewables. The existing geothermal well requires the temperature of the geothermal resource to be cooled before it can be used for heating. As the Power+ generates power, it also provides the necessary cooling with zero environmental impact or imposition on the onsen’s primary function as a community resource.
“The Power+ Generator not only generates power and profit it also solves a problem – cooling onsen water that is otherwise too hot for human use” said Kazunori Ueda, Project Lead and Director of Sales & Marketing, Sankou Denki. “With Japan’s feed-in-tariff rate for geothermal at 40 Yen/kW (~$.33/kW), we see a strong opportunity for profit at this site and approximately 40 + similar sites in the prefecture of Oita alone – and hundreds more at other districting heating systems and onsens (hot springs) throughout Japan. The minimal impact to the property with a small footprint and quiet sound profile make this a hidden gem for the local community, serving as a resource and providing a fixed profit at a district heating system that has been in operation for many years, and will continue for many more.”
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