USA: How US Can Reduce Carbon Emissions by 80% below 2005 Levels by 2050 - Recommendations for Geothermal Energy Included

Obama administration unveils path for deep decarbonization for Paris Climate Accord (Utility Dive)

The White House has issued a report outlining how the United States could achieve deep decarbonization efforts by 2050, at the same time the nation's commitment to climate change efforts is being questioned worldwide due to a looming Trump presidency.

The vision, unveiled at the United Nations climate conference in Morocco, shows the United States could reduce its carbon emissions by 80% below 2005 levels by 2050, largely by cutting emissions from the electric generating sector.

The report has recommendations for Geothermal (conventional and enhanced geothermal systems):

• Technologies for faster, cheaper drilling and borehole integrity for conventional and enhanced geothermal systems
• Improved resource identification for conventional geothermal power production, including remote characterization of potential resources deep underground
• Improved ability to develop and maintain effective, large underground thermal reservoirs for significant heat extraction
• Characterizing and controlling subsurface stress and induced seismicity

United States Mid-Century Strategy for Deep Decarbonization (PDF)

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China: Expected to More than Triple its Geothermal Power Consumption by 2020

China to boost geothermal power consumption in 2016-2020 (Xinhua)

(Courtesy CIA.gov)

China will boost the development of geothermal power in the next five years to reduce coal consumption and improve air quality, an energy official said on Thursday.

In particular, China will promote the use of geothermal power in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to replace coal for heating to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve air quality, Li Yangzhe, deputy director of the National Energy Administration, told an international forum on geothermal power.

Li said China will provide policy support to boost geothermal power exploitation and consumption during the 2016-2020 period.

China is expected to more than triple its geothermal power consumption by 2020 to 72.1 million tonnes of coal equivalent from the current level.

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Science & Technology: 95% of CO2 Captured at Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant was Mineralized Within Two Years

How carbon dioxide is being stored in rocks (CNBC)



Now, one project – based at the Hellisheidi Geothermal Plant – is looking to develop technology to permanently store the by-products of the plant's processes inside volcanic rocks called basalts.

"We actually capture the CO2 at the power plant, dissolve it in water and inject it as sort of mineral water back into the ground," Edda Sif Aradottir, project manager at CarbFix, told CNBC's Sustainable Energy. A chemical reaction then takes place, which eventually turns the CO2 into minerals called carbonate, she added.

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Turkey: 110 MW of Exergy ORC Geothermal Energy Plants Meets Targets

Five Exergy geothermal units obtain Ministry Acceptance in 5 days (News Release)

Italian ORC geothermal turbine manufacturer Exergy has obtained Turkish Ministry Acceptance for five different geothermal units in five days.

During the last week of October the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has declared that the following plants meet the required performance targets and can therefore obtain the national Feed In Tariff starting from January 2017:

• Kubilay I 24 MWe unit for the client Bestepeler Enerji Üretim Ticaret A.s 
• Mehmet Han 25 MWe unit for the client Kipaş Holding 
• Ken Kipas 3 25 MWe unit for the client Kipaş Holding 
• Umurlu II 12 MWe unit for the client Karadeniz Holding 
• Sultanhisar I 14 MWe unit for the client Celikler Holding 

The five units will generate a total of 110 MWe to be delivered as renewable energy to the Turkish grid.

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USA, California: Important Regional Renewable Energy Conference

10th Annual Imperial Valley Renewable Energy Summit (IVEDC)

March 15-17, 2017, Imperial Palms Hotel & Resort, Holtville, California, USA

Imperial Valley is home to more than 2,000 megawatts of geothermal, solar and wind energy developments that have propelled the region into the spotlight as a renewable energy leader. Studies show Imperial Valley has the potential to produce up to 25,000 megawatts of renewable energy. As California pushes for an increased Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) of 33% by 2020 to 50% by 2030, Imperial Valley continues to be positioned to be a major contributor in helping the state achieve its RPS goals.

The Imperial Valley Renewable Energy Summit offers an exciting, comprehensive program of engaging and informative speakers to discuss the issues that are most relevant to the renewable energy industry. In addition, the Summit includes: a business exposition, ample networking opportunities and a banquet.

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United Arab Emirates: Geothermal Energy Conference on Persian Gulf

ICVGE 2017: 19th International Conference on Volcanology and Geothermal Energy (World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology)

March 11-12, 2017, Dubai, UAE

The ICVGE 2017: 19th International Conference on Volcanology and Geothermal Energy aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Volcanology and Geothermal Energy. It also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Volcanology and Geothermal Energy.

Abstracts/Full-Text Paper Submission Deadline: November 21, 2016

More Information........

Canada: 77% of British Columbians Support Investing in Geothermal Rather than Building Large Hydro Dam.

Seventy per cent of British Columbians Support Pausing Site C Construction to Investigate Alternatives (Energeticcity.ca)

(Courtesy DESMOG.CA)

British Columbians want BC Hydro’s Site C dam sent for an independent review and support stopping construction on the project while alternatives are investigated, a new poll by Insights West has found.

It found that 73 per cent of British Columbians support sending the Site C dam for an independent review of both costs and demand, as recommended by the Joint Review Panel in its 2014 report. That includes 63 per cent of BC Liberal voters in 2013 and 83 per cent of those who last voted for the BC New Democratic Party (NDP).

The Joint Review Panel found the province had failed to investigate alternatives to building the Site C dam, such as geothermal energy. According to BC Hydro’s own estimates, geothermal could replace two-thirds of the power that could be generated by the Site C dam. Seventy-seven per cent of British Columbians support investing in geothermal (40 per cent “strongly”) rather than building a large hydro dam.

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Science & Technology: New Engine Makes a Broader Range of Geothermal Sites Viable

Energy-efficient engine turns waste hot water into electricity (New Scientist)

A new engine that generates electricity from waste hot water could reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions for thousands of different businesses, from cargo shipping to data centers.

So says Exergyn, a firm based in Dublin, Ireland, which plans to run the first industrial trials of its technology next year.

In addition to harnessing waste heat from industry, the company hopes that the engine could expand the geothermal energy market. At the moment, generating electricity from geothermal sources in a cost-effective manner requires very hot water at high flow rates. That typically means digging very deep wells with a wide diameter, which hugely increases drilling costs. Mike Langdon, Exergyn’s head of product management says that Exergyn’s technology makes a broader range of geothermal sites viable, as it works with water at a lower temperature and flow.

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Science & Technology: Research has Implications for a Global Framework of Geotherms

An Improved Method for Crustal Temperatures: Implications for a Global Framework of Geotherms (American Association for Science and Technology)

by Alexandrino C. H., Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys, Teófilo Otoni (MG), Brazil and Hamza V. M., National Observatory, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil.

International Journal of Geophysics and Geochemistry, Vol.3 , No. 6, Publication Date: Oct. 29, 2016, Page: 61-72

Crustal geotherms of the region of Goiás Massif (GM).
The left panel indicates the vertical distribution of temperatures in the crust, while the right panel the vertical distribution of heat flow.

An improved method for calculating crustal geotherms in stable continental crust is proposed, based on integrated use of data acquired in crustal seismic and heat flow studies. 

Designated as seismo-thermal method (STM), it is based on analytical solution to the standard heat conduction problem in stratified media, coupled with empirical relations between seismic velocities and temperatures at the crust-mantle interphase. 

Use of the newly proposed method (STM) also opens up the possibility of setting up a global reference framework of deep geotherms in different tectonic settings, based on results of crustal seismic surveys.

(Thanks to GRC Member Marcelo Lippmann, Staff Scientist (retired) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the submission.)

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GRC Geothermal News Resource is Followed by 3,600 Around the World

GRC Twitter Feed Reaches 3,600 Followers!

The Twitter feed of the Geothermal Resources Council has reached the milestone of 3,600 Followers!

Launched in June 2011, The Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) has posted nearly 12,000 Tweets, short 140-character messages, on the GRC Twitter website attracting over 3,600 followers and in turn following the news and information from over 2,500 sources.

As the oldest information and education association in the global geothermal energy community, the GRC is the trusted source for the latest geothermal energy news.

Get the latest Geothermal Energy news on your desktop computer or mobile device: https://twitter.com/GRC2001

Thanks for all our followers in the global geothermal community for your continued support.

USA, Oregon: Portland Utility Sets Course for More Renewable Energy Contracts

PGE files Integrated Resource Plan with Public Utility Commission (News Release)

Plan sets path for PGE to deliver on Oregon’s renewable power goals

Portland General Electric Company today filed its 2016 Integrated Resource Plan with the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), which would put PGE on target for meeting the state’s recently expanded renewable energy requirements.

Now that PGE has submitted its plan, OPUC staff members and stakeholders have up to six months to review it and provide comments and recommendations to the commission, which will ultimately decide whether the plan makes sense for customers and should be implemented. If the OPUC acknowledges the plan, PGE will work with the commission to develop competitive bidding processes to evaluate and select new resources. Bids could include renewables, hydroelectric power, flexible natural gas generation, geothermal power, energy storage and/or power supply contracts.

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Japan: Country has Big Geothermal Energy Resources Ready to Be Developed

Japan sees opportunity in the Earth's percolating heat (Nikkei Asian Review)

Fifty years ago, Japan's first geothermal power plant went online. Now with the world thirstier than ever for renewable energy, the country's decades of experience in the field is presenting a big export opportunity.

This is one reason why Japanese companies find themselves in the middle of a rain forest in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, about an eight-hour drive from provincial capital of Medan.

They are developing a plant that, once completed, will be the world's largest single geothermal power station. All together, the three facilities at the Sarulla plant will be able to generate 320,000kW of electricity. The No. 1 unit is already steaming ahead of its official launch by the end of the year.

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Science & Technology: Deep Direct-Use Geothermal

Heat from Beneath the Ground – Working to Advance Deep Direct-Use Geothermal (EERE/GTO)

Beneath our feet lies a source of geothermal heat that can be tapped to provide heating and cooling to both residential and commercial buildings, manufacturing processes, greenhouses and aquaculture ponds. Deep direct-use (DDU) systems are an emerging technology area in the geothermal sector that draw on lower temperature geothermal resources.

Deeper than geothermal heat pumps and other conventional direct-use systems, DDU is deployable at a similar temperature range—between 100°F and 300°F—but at a much larger scale. DDU maximizes system efficiencies and return on investment. This new technology could result in large-scale, low-temperature geothermal applications that create greater opportunities for geothermal resource development throughout the United States.

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USA: GTO Launches $4 Million Geothermal Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies

Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies - Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: DE-FOA-0001601 (EERE/GTO)

The Department of Energy announces the release of a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Geothermal Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies.” The Geothermal Technologies Office will fund up to $4 million to conduct feasibility studies of large-scale, low-temperature deep-well geothermal systems coupled with advanced direct-use applications and cascaded surface technologies whose applications will extend the reach of geothermal into geologically distinct parts of the country. These systems are referred to as Deep Direct-Use or DDU.

This FOA will solicit applications that propose projects supporting DDU feasibility studies in two Topic Areas:

• Topic Area 1 “DDU Feasibility Studies” will focus on the initial site selection, resource assessment, and feasibility study of DDU technology(s).
• Topic Area 2 “DDU Community of Practice Administration and Techno-Economic Validation of DDU Projects” seeks to convene and establish a DDU Community of Practice (COP).

More information........     
Funding opportunity announcement ..........

USA: News from the Heat Pump Industry

Heat Exchange Industry News (Geothermal Exchange Organization)

The latest GEO Industry News is now available from the Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO).

Headlines and features in this month’s edition include:

• It's Past Time to Renew Geothermal Tax Credits
• Losing Energy Tax Credit Hurts Cleaner Technologies
• GEO Comments on Connecticut Comprehensive Energy Strategy
• Revankar Named IGSHPA Acting Executive Director
• PLUS More Industry News and Announcements

The Geothermal Exchange Organization, a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association based in Springfield, Illinois, USA that advocates the environmental, energy efficiency and economic benefits of geothermal heat pump systems for heating and cooling applications in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings in the USA.

GEO Industry News (PDF)

France: Government Plans for 53 MW Geothermal Energy by 2023

France Sets Fresh Renewable Targets for 2023 (Renewable Energy World)

(Courtesy CIA.gov)

The French government has announced fresh targets for renewable energy capacity to be installed by 2023.

The new objectives — published within France’s multi-annual program of energy — Plan de programmation pluriannuelle de l'Energie (PPE) — will serve as trajectories to be used in defining the priorities for the French government in relation to the development of renewable energy on mainland France between 2016 and 2023.

For geothermal electricity, in terms of total installed power:

• As of December 31, 2018, there will be 8 MW of installed capacity.
• As of December 31, 2023, there will be 53 MW of installed capacity.

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Philippines: Five Firms Shortlisted to Take-Over Chevron's Geothermal Assets

Energy Development : EDC bids for Chevron geothermal assets (4-traders)

Energy Development Corp. has submitted its bid for Chevron's geothermal assets located in the Philippines and Indonesia.

'There's discussions going on between the bidders and Chevron. We were one of those shortlisted, five out of seven,' EDC chief financial officer Nestor Vasay told reporters in an interview.

In the Philippines, Chevron holds a 40-percent stake in Philippine Geothermal Production Company Inc., which produces steam energy for third party-owned geothermal power plants that could produce a capacity of 692 megawatts (MW).

The Indonesian assets, on the other hand, include two subsidiaries with geothermal projects with a potential capacity of around 650 MW.

Vasay noted there was no floor price for the assets yet, but earlier reports bared the assets cost USD3 billion. The renewable-energy firm submitted its bid last October 31.

The other parties bidding for the geothermal assets are a joint-venture between local-firm Aboitiz Power Corp. and Japanese-firm Marubeni, Philippine-conglomerate Ayala Corp. and a Japanese partner and Indonesian-firm Medco Power.

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USA, California: $4.7 Million Available for Geothermal Grant and Loan Program

Grant Funding Opportunity - GFO-16-505 (California Energy Commission)

Geothermal Grant and Loan Program (GRDA)

• Date Released: November 14, 2016.
• Deadline to submit Applications: January 20, 2017, by 5:00 p.m.

Solicitation Files. (MS Word and Excel files)

Pre-Application Workshop

November 29, 2016, 1:00 p.m.,
California Energy Commission
Imbrecht Hearing Room (Hearing Room B)
1516 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

USA: Renewable Energy Continues to make Good Progress

4 Charts That Show Renewable Energy is on the Rise in America (DOE/EERE)

The numbers are in and the verdict is clear: clean energy is on the rise, both at home and around the world.

Last week, one of the Department of Energy’s national labs, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, released the 2015 Renewable Energy Data Book. This annual publication illustrates the rapid progress that the United States and globe has seen on a variety of energy metrics over the past year – including electricity generation, investments, and technology-specific data.

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USA, California: A Growing Gap That Needs to be Filled by Generation that Can Ramp Up Quickly - Report

ScottMadden: California Duck Curve growing faster than expected

The most famous animal in the power sector is growing faster than expected, according to one new report.

The duck curve is the product of a 2013 analysis of projected electric load for 2012 through 2020 undertaken by the California ISO to better understand how increasing renewable resource penetration would affect the grid. The analysis examined net load, which is the load served by the electric system minus the load served by variable generation.

CAISO’s analysis found that in certain times of the year net load drops during mid-day and quickly ramps up to a late-day peak, and that the steepness of that curve would become more severe each year, resulting in a growing gap that would need to be filled by generation that can ramp up quickly.

In its report, ScottMadden compared the original CAISO forecasts to detailed, actual operational data, and conclude that “the duck curve is real and growing faster than expected.”

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USA, California: Another Community Choice Aggregator in Golden State

California county files community choice aggregation plan (Utility Dive)

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), a community choice aggregation program representing towns in Humboldt County, has filed its supply plan with the California Public Utilities Commission, according to a the Times-Standard.

The Times-Standard reports RCEA, with help from The Energy Authority, will use local biomass and other renewables to serve five towns and unincorporated areas in the county. The RCEA could begin supplying power to Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Blue Lake and Trinidad within six months.

California allows community choice providers to establish rates that support their own power mix, typically in an attempt to supply customers with more carbon-free energy. Customers would be able to opt out of the program, however, and remain with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). PG&E will continue to bill customers despite if they receive their power through the CCA program.

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Indonesia: Call to Speed Up Geothermal Power Projects

More policies needed to boost geothermal use (Jakarta Post)

A new regulation aimed at setting a fixed feed-in tariff for geothermal power is about to come, clearing uncertainties for investors. However, a lack of accurate data on geothermal reserves in existing fields seems to have curbed investor confidence and impeded price negotiations.

Geothermal energy, the Earth’s internal heat, which can be harvested to generate consistent power, produces zero greenhouse gas, making it the perfect alternative to replace fossil fuels. Sitting on the ring of fire, Indonesia is said to have massive potential in geothermal reserves in almost 330 fields across the nation. 

The government’s estimates, in a report published in 2013, cited around 29 gigawatts (GW) of geothermal potential. However, the country’s geothermal sector has remained sluggish with only 1.5 GW of geothermal power produced since the first geothermal power plant in Garut, West Java, in 1982.

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Iceland: HS Orka Reports Financial and Operational Updates

HS Orka hf - Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements for Q3 2016 (News Release)

HS Orka hf announces Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2016

Company profit for the period was ISK 2,714 million (YTD 2015: ISK 290 million), driven primarily by increased aluminum prices (see below). Operating revenue was 4.9% lower at ISK 5,119 million (YTD 2015 ISK 5,382 million) largely due decreased generation at Reykjanes and reduced sales to fish smelters due to a poor fishing season.

The deep drilling program at Reykjanes has progressed below 3,850 meters, making it the deepest drilled hole in Iceland. The target depth remains 5,000 meters, and drilling progresses at 8.5" diameter. Estimated well-bottom temperatures are currently around 400°C. The program hopes to elucidate a previously untapped supercritical steam zone.

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Philippines: Three Local Firms Shortlisted for Chevron Geothermal Assets

3 Pinoy groups vie for Chevron assets: Tiwi Makban steam field for sale (Malaya Business Insight)

Three Filipino groups have been shortlisted to buy the geothermal assets of Chevron in the Philippines and Indonesia.

For sale is the steam field of Tiwi Makban in the Philippines and steam power plants in Indonesia.

The Filipino groups include Energy Development Corp. which partnered with Japanese power companies Mitsui and Kyushu, Aboitiz Group and Marubeni, Ayala Group with another Japanese partner  plus two foreign groups.

“They were seven groups that submitted bids but only five were shortlisted”, EDC senior vice president and chief finance officer, Nestor Vasay told reporters during First Gen’s power plant inauguration in Batangas.

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Kenya: Work to Begin Next Year on Naivasha - Nairobi Railway Link

In Kenya, railway construction faces challenges (China Daily)

Work is set to start early next year on the challenging second phase of Kenya's standard gauge railway network development.

The northern corridor link, known as 2A, will be constructed by China Road and Bridges Corp, following commissioning of the project by the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Oct 19.

The Ksh 150 billion ($1.5 billion; 1.35 billion euros; 1.2 billion) project will extend from Nairobi to Naivasha, the country's geothermal production center, located in the northwest of the city.

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Finance: $50 Million Funding Available for Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries

IRENA and ADFD open fifth round of funding for renewable energy projects (Renewable Energy Magazine)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) have officially opened the fifth round of funding for renewable energy projects in developing countries.

The funding round of approximately $50 million is available for scalable, replicable and transformative renewable energy projects in developing countries. It is part of ADFD’s $350 million (AED 1.285 billion) commitment offering concessional loans to renewable energy projects endorsed by IRENA.

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Turkey: CIF and EBRD Provide Financing for Geothermal Energy Development

Tapping Turkey's Geothermal Potential for Renewable Energy (CIF)

Sometimes you need to drill downward to move forward.  Turkey is tapping geothermal heat under the earth’s surface in an effort to meet the country's targets for renewable energy generation.

(Video 3:26 minutes)

Public finance is key to unlocking geothermal potential – worldwide, up to 90 percent of geothermal project investments utilize some aspect of public debt or equity support – because private actors are unwilling or unable to bear the risk.

So the Climate Investment Funds is providing financing and working with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to help Turkey to harness its geothermal potential – and in doing so, move towards its seven-year target of generating 30 percent of energy from renewable sources.

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Indonesia: Opinion - Geothermal Companies Should Enjoy the Support of an Exploration Insurance Scheme

Quest for insurance scheme for RI’s geothermal future (The Jakarta Post)

Riki Ibrahim, president director of PT Geo Dipa Energi

Riki Ibrahim, president director
PT Geo Dipa Energi

Geothermal energy has remained largely underdeveloped and underutilized in Indonesia, despite the many advantages it has to offer compared to currently widely used types of energy like oil, gas and coal.

Indonesia, however, needs to come up with fiscal incentives to turn these comparative advantages for geothermal into a significant contribution to the government’s plan to build by 2019 power plants to produce 35,000 megawatts of electricity.

Well-drilling exploration and development represent the biggest risks in this business. No financial institutions in Indonesia offer funding for geothermal exploration.  

In countries like Iceland, Germany and many in East Africa aided by the World Bank and France, geothermal companies enjoy the support of an exploration insurance scheme. Other countries offer incentives for clean energy development.

Indonesia should follow these examples.

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Canada: Project to Use Geothermal Waters from Abandoned Mines Moves Ahead

Geothermal could be Springhill’s ticket to future (Cumberland News Now)

Politicians in Springhill are hoping they’ll finally be able to take advantage of their community’s expansive geothermal resources.

Geothermal energy is not new and this is not the first time Springhill has made an attempt to grasp the opportunity that its former mining infrastructure presents. For nearly 25 years, various attempts have been made to develop and market Springhill’s geothermal resources. While several companies have used geothermal energy with varied benefits, for some reason it has never become the drawing card many thought it would be when the first pipe was sunk into Springhill’s former mine shafts.

Earlier this week, the province took a step toward helping Springhill’s geothermal infrastructure grow by opening the way for a municipal geothermal program – a first for Nova Scotia. The province has given the town permission to operate its own geothermal program that will provide underground water as an efficient energy source.

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Japan: Geothermal Energy from Injected Surface Water

Successful demonstration of the world's first New Geothermal Power System carried out in Kokonoe, Oita Prefecture (Kyoto University)

Japan New Energy water power plant (Kokonoe Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture)

A team of researchers, including Associate Professor Takehiko Yokomine from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering and the Japan New Energy Corporation (J-NEC), were recently successful in carrying out a demonstration of the J-NEC Method New Geothermal Power System, which is the first technology of its kind in the world.

The J-NEC Method New Geothermal Power System was conceived as a method for fundamentally resolving the various obstacles that have plagued geothermal power generation in the past. It represents a new technology born from the concept of "generating electricity by absorbing geothermal heat without using hot spring water".

The closed cycle system, which injects and circulates water from above ground rather than using hot spring water, solves the problems of scale buildup and the installation of a reinjection well, which have plagued previous methods of generating geothermal energy.

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USA, Idaho: Uncertainty for U.S. Geothermal Energy Industry After Trump Win

US Geothermal's (HTM) CEO Dennis Gilles on Q3 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Dennis Gilles - CEO, and Kerry Hawkley - CFO, give their views on the effect of the recent U.S. presidential election result on the geothermal energy industry

Dennis Gilles: With the recent election results that will be interesting to see how it plays out. I was asked on the NYSE Stock Exchange floor here a couple of weeks ago our view on the upcoming election and how that might impact us. And my response to them was when we have the President and the Congress not working together then that seems to be the most disruptive for our industry. Given the results of the election here in the US, we now have a President and the Senate and the Assembly that are all or the House representatives that are all of the same party, so we should have a good working relationship, which then should be beneficial. Now having said that, the incoming President has suggested that he's interested in some of the coal energy, we're not sure how that's going to carry over to geothermal or the continuing support of legislation that supports geothermal. So we're really in a wait and see mode and all I could do is speculate and I don't think you know I think that would be – wouldn’t be right.

Kerry Hawkley: The other comment I'd make is what we've seen from corporate off takers is that they're really front running this, their corporations that want clean energy so these are the Googles, the Apples, anybody that's running server farms, Tesla. Those kind of folks are out there looking for clean energy despite what the federal government is doing so. I don't think what happens with the clean power initiative is really going to change that.

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Commonwealth of Dominica: Government Might Need Help in Building Geothermal Power Plant

President Charles Savarin appeals for EU help to establish a geothermal plant in Dominica (WICE / Q95FM Radio)

On Wednesday November 2, when Ambassador Daniella Tromasiere presented her credentials to Dominica’s Head of State, President Savarin used that opportunity to call for the EU to support the Government of Dominica in its venture into geothermal energy production.

Download MP3 file (0:38 Minutes)......

The government of Dominica has spent over 80 million dollars exploring the island's geothermal potential, and there have been complaints in some quarters, that the project has been placed on the back burner. However, in October, Prime Minister Skerrit revealed that government will go ahead alone in constructing a small geothermal plant in Dominica.

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Canada: Opportunities for Geothermal Energy in Western Provinces

British Columbia May Have a “Trillion Dollar Opportunity” with Geothermal Power (Clean Technica)

An interview with Alison Thompson, Chair of the Canadian Geothermal Association

British Columbia may have a “Trillion Dollar Opportunity,” and it is NOT LNG. There are more than 150 known hot springs in Western Canada. Look at the map below, most of the high generation temperature areas are in BC! 

According to Alison Thompson, Chair of the Canadian Geothermal Association, there is more than enough geothermal energy to power the province’s grid, yet none of these sites have been developed. Geothermal energy has never been invited to bid on calls for power. In fact, there isn’t a single developed geothermal site in all of Canada!

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Indonesia: Abstract Submission for Important Regional Geothermal Conference

 6th ITB International Geothermal Workshop 

22-23 March, 2017, Bandung, Indonesia

IIGW 2017 Abstract Submission is now open!

Present your research to colleagues from around the world at the 6th ITB International Geothermal Workshop 2017 in Bandung, Indonesia.

We welcome abstracts from any field related to Geothermal Submit your abstract to:
paper-workshop2017@geothermal.itb.ac.id before December 2, 2016

For further information about the abstract and author guidance, please visit https://lnkd.in/fxe2i-B 

Canada: Funding Provided for 15 MWe/135 MWth Geothermal Energy Development

Kitselas First Nation focused on geothermal energy (BC Gov News)

With support from B.C.’s First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund, Kitselas First Nation is pursuing private power purchase agreement partnerships with major project proponents in northwest British Columbia. These partnerships will support the exploratory drilling stage for the proposed Kitselas Geothermal Power Generation Project.

The Kitselas First Nation will receive $10,000 in capacity funding to support negotiations with major project proponents to establish private power purchase agreements for the sale of electricity from the proposed plant. Kitselas will also seek a private power purchase agreement with a local buyer for thermal energy produced by the plant.

The plant would harness geothermal energy, producing 15 megawatts of electricity with the potential to provide another 135 megawatts of thermal energy as a main heat source for local businesses. Other benefits include enhanced energy security, the offset of greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of up to 75 jobs over the construction and operation phases, including 15 long-term jobs.

The Kitselas Geothermal Power Generation Project is a project of LL Geothermal Inc., a company formed by Kitselas Development Corporation and Borealis Geopower. It is set to be one of Canada’s first geothermal power plants.

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Japan: Video Concludes that Geothermal Power Plants and Onsens Can Co-Exist

Japan is sitting on a massive geothermal reserve that heats thousands of spas (VICE News)

Hot spring spas are cultural institutions that have been around for more than a thousand years. Today, there are more than 3,000 onsens across the country, which service 120 million people every year, or roughly the entire population of Japan. The owners are facing pressure to share the geothermal reserves that heat their spas to help power the country.

After the Fukushima meltdown, the Japanese government faced significant pressure to shut down all of the country’s nuclear reactors. Without nuclear power, the country gets almost 87 percent of its energy needs from expensive and polluting fossil fuels.

“We have enough to power 20 big nuclear power plants,” said professor Sachio Ehara, chairman of the Geothermal Information Institute. “Japan is a land full of volcanoes.”

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Canada: Direct Use Geothermal Workshop and Seminar in BC

Workshop: Direct-use Geothermal Resources in BC (Geoscience BC/Tuya Terra Geocorp)

24 November 2016, 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM PST Agassiz, BC, Canada 

We invite community staff and representatives to join us for this FREE 1-day workshop to learn about how your community can benefit from Direct-use Geothermal Resources in BC. Targeted community members include those with a background or interest in community economic development, community planning, and environmental/resource/land-use/energy/sustainability management.

Seminar and Tour: Direct-use Geothermal Resources in BC (Geoscience BC/Tuya Terra Geocorp)

25 November 2016, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST, Vancouver, BC, Canada

We invite community staff and interested community representatives to join us for a 1/2-day seminar and tour to learn about how your community can benefit from Direct-use Geothermal Resources in BC. Targeted community members include those with a background or interest in community economic development, community planning, and environmental/resource/land-use/energy/sustainability management.

Republic of Ireland: Conference Focuses on Enabling the Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future

Irish Renewable Energy Summit

13 December, Dublin, Ireland

The Renewable Energy Summit will provide a valuable opportunity to bring together the key stakeholders from across the energy sector, and those who interact with the energy sector to discuss how the contribution from renewable energy can be maximized and implemented most effectively. The objective is to create a genuine in-depth understanding of the alternative paths open to Ireland in increasing the contribution from renewable energy.

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USA, Idaho: U.S. Geothermal Announces Financial and Project Updates

U.S. Geothermal Inc. Reports First Nine Months 2016 Results and Reaffirms 2016 Guidance (News Release)

Development Projects Update:

• Received draft Small Generator Interconnection Agreement from Nevada Energy for the 10 MW San Emidio II expansion, increasing San Emidio interconnection allowed from 16 MW to 19.9 MW.
• Completed the drilling of a second production leg on well RRG-2 at Raft River. The well is now back in production and heat up is in progress.
• Completed the drilling and testing of a production size well at El Ceibillo in Guatemala. Results confirm the shallow resource is commercial
• Completed the deepening and testing of two existing temperature gradient wells at San Emidio II. Both wells encountered high permeability and a resource that is 44°F hotter than Phase I resource.
• Adjusted Projected Commercial Operation Dates for advanced development projects. 
• Finalized award of the $1.5 million grant by the Department of Energy for Crescent Valley and San Emidio to advance resource evaluation through innovative techniques.

“While we experienced some extraordinary mechanical challenges during the first three quarters of 2016, which negatively impacted our Gross Profit by $2.3 million, our power plants are performing admirably going into the fourth quarter,” said Dennis Gilles, Chief Executive Officer. “Unfortunately, our Net Income was also negatively impacted by onetime non-recurring expenses totaling $0.99 million that we incurred earlier in the year to enhance our share valuation.” 

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New Zealand: Important Geothermal Energy Conference

38th NZ Geothermal Workshop 

23-25 November 2016, Geothermal Institute, University of Auckland

Innovation can mean changing or creating more effective processes, products and ideas. It can also mean the process of translating an idea or invention into a product or service that creates value. It could be social innovation: creating alliances, joint venturing, changing the way employees work.

The 38th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop invites you to share with your colleagues the multiple facets of innovation in the geothermal industry as well as explore the benefits and challenges faced and document the outcome.

Register Now........

Mexico: Latest Issue of Geothermal Magazine

Geotermia - Volume 29 No. 2, July-December 2016 (CFE)

A Mexican professional journal that provides technical and other articles about geothermal energy research, development and utilization. The journal also features articles and papers on other clean and renewable energy resources such as wind and solar.

Contenido:

• Potencial Teórico SGM en los Afloramientos del Basamento en México
• Poroelastoplasticidad en Sistemas Geotérmicos y Desequilibrio Térmico
• Propuesta metodológica para determinar el desarrollo sustentable de zonas con potencial geotérmico
• Metodología para la elaboración de un modelo conceptual a partir de datos geológicos, geofísicos y geoquímicos en la fase de reconocimiento y prefactibilidad de un proyecto geotérmico
• FORO: Subastas de largo plazo, un mecanismo del nuevo mercado eléctrico
• Libro sobre modelación publicado en 2010

All issues of Geotermia are cataloged and all electronic versions can be downloaded from the GRC Geothermal Library.

Latest Issue of Geotermia - Volume 29, No. 2, July-December, 2016 (PDF)

United Kingdom: Give Evidence on Developing Geothermal Energy in Great Britain

Call for evidence on fuelled and geothermal technologies in the Contracts for Difference scheme (GOV.UK)

In this call for evidence the U.K. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy is seeking views and evidence on fuelled technologies and geothermal in the CFD. This will help better understand how these technologies work in the context of the CfD and assess whether any detailed policy proposals are needed.

This consultation closes at 20 December 2016 at 5:00pm

Call for evidence on fuelled techs and geothermal (PDF)

United Kingdom: Government Announces Funding for Renewable Energy

UK outlines £580m CfD budget plans (Energy Live News)

(Courtesy CIA.gov)

The UK Government has outlined plans for £580 million of funding for its Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. As part of the auction, low carbon electricity generators are incentivized for the power they produce.

The application process for £290 million of annual funding will open in April 2017 for projects to be delivered in 2021/22 or 2022/23.

The second CfD allocation round will support “less established” technologies, including offshore wind, anaerobic digestion (AD) with or without CHP, biomass with CHP, advanced conversion technologies with or without CHP, wave, tidal and geothermal energy.

The draft strike prices for delivery in 2021/22 per megawatt hour for geothermal projects will be set out following a consultation.

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Nicaragua: Two New Wells at San Jacinto-Tizate Geothermal Power Plant Help Increase Generation

Polaris Infrastructure Announces 2016 Third Quarter Results (News Release)

Polaris Infrastructure Inc. of Toronto, Canada has reported its financial and operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2016.

The San Jacinto-Tizate Power Plant in Nicaragua generated 120,358 MWh (net) (an average of 54.6 MW (net)), resulting in revenue of $14.3 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, compared to revenue of $12.9 million on generation of 112,210 MWh (net) (an average of 50.8 MW (net)), for the same period in 2015.

The increase in power generation was the result of connecting two new wells to the San Jacinto plant, SJ 9-4 and SJ 6-3, which occurred part-way through the quarter. This increase was partially offset by downtime associated with unit 3 turbine maintenance, which took place in July 2016.

Drilling of SJ 9-4 was completed on July 21, 2016, and the well was connected to the plant on August 24, 2016. Current power generation from the well is estimated at 10 MW. We continue closely monitoring the well in order to maximize near-term production while also best integrating into our broader steamfield management strategy.

The first new production well, SJ 6-3, was completed in late December 2015, and has been undergoing thermal recovery since then. The well was successfully connected to the plant on August 1, 2016, and on average has been contributing approximately 2-3 MW. We anticipate further modest improvements in temperature and pressure, which could result in average contribution approaching 3 MW.

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USA: Geothermal Technology Office to Announce Funding Opportunities in EGS Innovation

GTO Announces Topics under SBIR/STTR (EERE/GTO)

The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has announced two topics under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program for upcoming funding opportunities for innovations in Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) systems and Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS):

Topic 12: Innovations That Enable Commercial Deployment Of Enhanced Geothermal Systems: GTO seeks the development and commercialization of innovations that will enable cost-competitive deployment of EGS-based electricity generation in the U.S. We are interested in a broad range of innovations, as described in GTO’s 2013 EGS Roadmap. Innovations of interest can be in software, which may include, but are not limited to, models and algorithms, such as real-time joint inversion or multicomponent fully-coupled geomechanical models.

For topic questions please contact Josh Mengers at joshua.mengers@ee.doe.gov.

The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for these topics will be issued on November 28, 2016. To apply, a mandatory letter of intent must be submitted by 5:00 PM EST on Monday December 19, 2016.

Canada: Promising Results from Geothermal Energy Survey

Geothermal Study Results (County of Grande Prairie)

The County of Grande Prairie, Alberta gave an update on a study of potential geothermal energy resources in the area in a recent newsletter.

Dr. Jonathan Banks from the University of Alberta and Maureen Kolla from Alberta Innovates presented the interim results of the preliminary geothermal report conducted in the summer. Dr. Banks also answered Council’s queries.

The County invested $20,000 to have this preliminary study completed. The
research team at the University of Alberta studied a 10-kilometre radius around the communities of Beaverlodge, Grande Prairie, Hythe, Sexsmith, and Wembley to determine the most viable reservoirs that have the potential to provide geothermal energy.

Research indicated geothermal power would be available at each reservoir in the County over a 30-year production period. The two most promising reservoirs in
the area were located near Sexsmith and in an area northeast of Grande Prairie.

USA, Nevada: Ormat Plans to Add Between 150 and 180 MW Geothermal Energy by YE 2018

Ormat's CEO Isaac Angel on Q3 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha)

Kenya: Reasoning Behind the Move Away from Feed-in-Tarrifs

Kenya: Reports from Nairobi that competitive auctions will replace current feed-in tariff system in Kenya (Lexology)

(Courtesy CIA.gov)

Recent reports show that Kenya’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is in the process of drafting new regulations, which are expected to be implemented by the end of Q1 2017.

The new regulations are expected to introduce competitive auctions for awarding renewable energy projects in Kenya, shifting from the current feed-in tariff regime under the Feed-in Tariff Policy 2012 (revised in December 2012) which offers tariffs for small renewable projects up to 10 MW and for large renewable projects above 10 MW.

The main argument to move away from feed-in tariffs and adopt a competitive auction system is to introduce competition amongst project developers and investors in order to achieve lower pricing. The ERC believes that this new approach will encourage project developers and investors to reduce tariffs which ultimately benefits the end consumers.

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USA, California: Community Choice Aggregation Comes to GRC Home City

Yolo County & City of Davis Partner to Bring Choice to Local Electricity (News Release)

Yolo County and the City of Davis have taken an important step to bring competition to the local electricity market. Both have voted unanimously to form the Valley Clean Energy Alliance (VCEA), a locally-based, not-for-profit electricity energy provider. 

Scheduled to begin service in Fall 2017, VCEA is designed to deliver cost-competitive clean electricity, product choice, price stability and energy efficiency programs, as well as greenhouse gas emission reductions, to local electricity customers. Under this system, PG&E continues to get paid to maintain the electric wires and manage customer billing. Also, electricity customers can choose to remain with PG&E if they prefer. 

“At this point, there is probably no other single action we, as a city, can take that will have as much impact on our collective greenhouse gas emissions,” said Davis Mayor Robb Davis. “Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs have shown the ability to deliver consumer choice and greener electricity with competitive pricing. Importantly, CCE programs allow for local control of electricity purchases and, thus, local accountability at a low risk. We are in a period of rapidly changing electricity generation options and a CCE enables us to proactively be part of that change – creating a more resilient supply of green energy to consumers.” 

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Indonesia: Upcoming Geothermal Energy Course in Bandung

Geothermal Course and One Day Field Trip - Petrology, Geochemistry, Structural Geology, Volcanostratigraphy