Geothermal power production is a proven technology with a long and widespread history. It dates back to the first plant in Italy, in 1904. Today, approximately 8,000 MW of operating plants have been installed around the world: the Asia’s Pacific Rim, the Americas, Europe and Africa. The United States accounts for around 2,700 MW in California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
A Government Program is seeking to expand geothermal power to at least five more western and northwestern states.

Geothermal Benefits
1. It is a base-load power source with a very high capacity availability of up to 95% and better. It delivers power 24/7, independent of weather, surface water levels or heat waves. It is consistent and reliable and delivers power for exceptionally long periods of time. It is not uncommon for geothermal projects to produce for twenty five to thirty years.

2. It is renewable and provides a stable without consuming valuable resources, or producing greenhouse gases. A geothermal plant operates with effectively zero emissions and avoids millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year.

3. It sells its power in a long-term contract for 20 or more years and therefore avoids short-term price or market instabilities. It provides a long-term place of employment and a known and consistent power price to its buyers.

4. It is not subject to fossil fuel constraints or volatility.

5. The geothermal power plant enjoys low visibility and uses comparatively little land. Skillful planning can create a plant that is almost invisible from a short distance.

6. The Newberry Project will bring significant tax and royalty revenue to Deschutes County and Oregon.

Technology 
Geothermal power is a renewable, continuous “base-load” source of generating capacity. Unlike intermittent wind, solar, and small hydro energy plants, geothermal power is little affected by weather conditions or drought since the condensed steam is re-injected into the resource for reheating and recycling. Geothermal power takes up little ground space and has virtually no pollution emissions.

If the resource is high temperature, then a direct flash, or indirect steam technology is used to generate power. If the resource has temperatures below 200°F, then a heat exchange technology is used to transfer the water’s heat to a fluid in a closed loop system. This heat exchange technology is called binary.

Pictures made possible by the Geothermal Education Office, Tiburon, CA