GEA honors contributions to geothermal

June 4, 2015 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Yesterday, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), who recognizes companies and individuals that have made significant contributions during the past year to advancing technology, spurring economic development, and protecting the environment, presented its Annual Honors Awards for advances supporting industry growth.

Geothermal Binary Power Plant, Steamboat Springs, Nevada. Credit: Rjglewis/Wikimedia Commons

Among the honorees, Enel Green Power North America, Inc. received the GEA Honors 2015 award for its continued efforts in advancing hybrid geothermal power systems and pioneering conjoining geothermal systems with other renewable technologies, including solar PV, concentrating solar, and biomass. In particular, the Stillwater Solar Geothermal Hybrid Project has an installed capacity of 26 megawatts (MW) and will generate around 40 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy per year, enough to meet the needs of 15,000 American households as well as avoid the emission of more than 28,000 metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. Additionally, the company is building a 5 MW biomass plant to boost the Cornia 2 geothermal plant's 13 MW capacity in Castelnuovo Val di Cecina, Tuscany.

Cyrq Energy received the award for completing the first utility scale geothermal project in New Mexico -- putting a new state on the geothermal power map. In addition to bringing all the environmental benefits and values of geothermal power to a new state, this accomplishment could open many new doors for geothermal power in New Mexico.

The California Energy Commission's (CEC) Geothermal Grant and Loan Program also received recognition an outstanding example of a state program that advances environmental quality and economic growth through a sustained effort supporting geothermal projects in California. Also known as the GRDA Program, the funding for the program comes from royalties paid by geothermal developments on federal lands in California -- 30 percent of which are deposited in the state's Geothermal Resources Development Account (GRDA) and are given to the Energy Commission to provide grants and loans for a variety of geothermal planning, research, development, and mitigation projects. Since this program's inception in the early 1980s, it has made magnificent strides to support industry and local community needs for advances in geothermal energy. Many geothermal projects producing power or heat today are online because of funds cost-shared from this program.

Power Africa was also recognized for its support of expanded use of geothermal energy, particularly in East Africa, including their efforts to engage the U.S. industry through the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) East Africa Geothermal Partnership. Currently, geothermal resources are being explored for or developed into power plants in nearly a dozen African countries often involving U.S. companies. In GEA's recent survey, 18 companies reported having work in Kenya alone.

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