Archive for May, 2010
Geothermal energy now touches 52 million worldwide
In Washington, D.C., the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) released its latest International Geothermal Power Production Update, and the association says that geothermal power now has over 10,000 MW installed and reaches more than 52 million people. Overall, power online has risen 20% since a 2005 International Geothermal Association report. The top 24 countries in GT [...]
Something brewing at Sierra, trading halted
In Canada, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) stopped the trading of Sierra Geothermal stock on the TSX Venture exchange Friday, May 28. The stoppage occurred at a little after 10 AM eastern time at the request of Sierra “pending news”. We don’t know what that news is, but the company has been [...]
DOE aims to speed ideas to the market
In Washington DC, the Department of Energy has announced a funding opportunity that is designed to accelerate the movement of innovative energy technologies from university laboratories into the market. America’s research institutions have been invaluable in generating new ideas, but bridging the gap between the lab and the entrepreneur needed to rapidly move technology into [...]
Geothermal business sparks growth for St. Paul contractor
In Minnesota, a mechanical contractor is adding jobs, thanks to its expertise in ground-source geothermal. Harris Cos revenue slip in 2009 by only 15% in an industry that slumped some 50% between 2007 and 2009. Further, with a record backlog for the next 18 months, the company expects to increase employment by 15%. Harris CEO [...]
Fifty years of geothermal energy production marked
In California, the dedication of a new solar array system served as a backdrop for the celebration of 50 years of geothermal energy production at The Geysers by the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA). The solar array, located at a waste treatment facility, produces energy to help pump treated wastewater 26 miles uphill to NCPA’s [...]
Strike up the Band: Fanfare accompanies EnergySource Salton Sea-area project start
In California, EnergySource LLC has started – or perhaps re-started – construction of the Hudson Ranch I project, a 49 MW high-temperature geothermal power generation project in Imperial County. The project has been under development since 2006 by Catalyst Renewables and Hannon Armstrong, the majority owners of EnergySource.
Most impressive was the flood of press releases [...]
Proposed resource tax sparks call for industry subsidy
In Australia, the Federal Government is planning a 40% tax on super profits of miners to help the fledgling geothermal industry is not surprisingly drawing flak from large, established mining companies and only lukewarm support from geothermal developers. Clean Energy Australasia (CEA) spokesman Joe Reichman says the tax sends the wrong message to investors, giving [...]
Penola project continues run of good news
In Australia, Panax Geothermal reports that results from the Salamander-1 well at its Penola Geothermal Project suggests enhanced potential of the site. Bertus de Graaf, managing director of Panax said “The new results not only boosted the geothermal potential of the Penola Trough, but it also lifts the potential of the other three troughs of [...]
PSALM starts Leyte privatization
In the Philippines, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has begun the process of privatizing the contracted capacity of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Complex. Based on the bid documents, interested parties may now start due diligence on the plants located in Tongonan. They have a combined capacity of 640-megawatts. The winning [...]
Triad sign to build Makiling geothermal project
In the Philippines Petrogreen Energy Corp., Trans-Asia Oil and PNOC-Renewables Corp. have signed on to develop a $60 million geothermal power project on Mt. Makiling. The three parties agreed to form Maibarara Geothermal Inc., capitalized at $24 million, in which PetroEnergy will have a controlling stake of 65%; Trans-Asia Oil will control 25%, and PNOC-RC, [...]
