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| Geothermal Energy the savior of Salton Sea, by Alexander Schriener Jr. Units 1 and 2 at Salton Sea geothermal field, Imperial Valley CA. View from Obsidian Butte looking south across the declining Lake. Dead tree has Blue Heron nests. 26-Dec-13. GRC PHOTO CONTEST |
Despite the growing demand for clean sources of energy in order to meet the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard goal, which has propelled the development of solar and wind energy, others such as geothermal have been left behind.
The high initial cost and the slow regulatory process to get plants permitted have caused California to consider importing power from other states even before investing in further development of geothermal energy.
Now, a startup Australian firm wants to tap into the big potential for geothermal at the Salton Sea area by building a massive plant, the first in many years, thanks in part to a very different approach from what has been used in past development.
There are three key aspects in which Controlled Thermal Resources differs from previous development size, pricing and partnership with a mineral extraction firm.