After six years of research, Raser Technologies will deliver geothermal energy to the city of Anaheim, California. The geothermal generator, which is located in Beaver County, Utah, will produce 10 megawatts of energy, or enough to power 9,000 homes. It should be completed by October. Anaheim’s new energy source will put it on the fast track to reaching 20 percent of its total energy needs through renewable energy by 2012.
The Raser geothermal model is much more consumer-friendly than previous models, as it operates at the relatively low temperature of 165 F. And a lot is riding on its success. According to Merrill Lynch’s managing director of corporate finance Roy Piskadlo, “The success of this project will be important, because with this new low-temperature technology, the range of potential commercial sites is much wider.”
Not only is the low temperature of the Raser model revolutionary, but so its existence in the first place. The Beaver County project, which draws on 640 acres of land, is the first geothermal project to be built in Utah in approximately 20 years.
Most importantly, Raser believes that there will be a very low risk of water degradation in the project’s reservoir, thus ensuring the sustainability of the energy source. And more areas of the country should begin to see the fruits of Raser’s labor sometime in the near future—the company holds the rights to 225,000 acres of land in multiple states.
Hopefully, Raser’s project will help cities and town that can’t rely on wind or solar energy reach their sustainability goals sooner rather than later.
Photo Credit: Raser Technologies