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http://pesn.com/2008/09/04/9501492_Raser_geothermal_50-turbines/
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Raser is Rapidly Deploying Cost-Effective Geothermal Power
Instead of
using electricity to turn a heat pump to cool a liquid, Raser runs a warmed liquid
through a heat pump to generate electricity. With their rapid, low-cost
deployment capability, they could maximize the U.S. geothermal capacity within
ten years.
by Sterling
D. Allan
Pure Energy Systems News
e live in a day when the cost of renewable energy technologies is dropping,
even as the cost of fossil-based energy is increasing -- to the point that now
some renewable energy technologies are beginning to compete with and even
surpass the polluting energy technologies price-wise.
While environmental energy sources such as wind, tide, and geothermal, are free
for the taking, the devices that harvest that energy are not free. The
task then is to come up with the most efficient method possible for converting
the environmental source into a usable energy form.
Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca:RZ) of Provo, Utah, USA is making huge
strides in cost-effectively harvesting geothermal energy.
Economies of Scale and Superior Design
Their approach is ingenious. Part of their success comes from the
principle of mass producing well-established, off-the-shelf (from United
Technologies Corp.), modular components.
They also have an edge because of their concept of taking the air conditioning
industry technology and essentially running it in reverse. Instead of
using electricity to turn a heat pump to cool a liquid, they run a warm liquid
through a heat pump to generate electricity.
The secondary liquid that is heated through a heat exchanger from the
geothermal-heated water has a boiling temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Converting that proprietary fluid to vapor is what turns the generator (heat
pump). In this "reverse" direction from the air conditioner,
turbines replace the impeller of the heat pump.
This enables Raser to use much lower temperatures than what traditional
geothermal plants have required in which water is flashed to steam and run
through a turbine. At normal atmospheric pressure, water boils at 212ΊF,
but under pressure -- typical of a geothermal system -- the temperature can go
much higher before flashing to steam. Typical plants require the
temperature to be at least 360ΊF to be feasible.
Raser's generators are optimized to run on between 200Ί to 300ΊF, which
previously was essentially a useless level of heat.
This opens up a vast number of potential sites that hitherto were not feasible.
One of the best-known names in the commercial air conditioning industry, United
Technologies Corporation (UTC), is supplying Raser with their generator
units. These are comprised of 95% similar components as what are found on
the air conditioning units on the top of commercial buildings, so the question
of supply and being able to keep up with demand is not a problem, nor is the
price.
UTC first tested the design a few years ago at Chena Hot Springs in
Alaska, with water that was just 165ΊF. The Raser geothermal plants will be the first commercial
application of these variant units from UTC.
Rapid Deployment
Traditionally, the lead time on a geothermal plant is three to five years.
Compare that to Raser, who will be powering up their first plant in just five
months after groundbreaking.
They broke ground in Beaver County, Utah in May of this year. On August
12, they received 50 generator units from UTC, which they then announced
were all put in place yesterday, September 4, just three weeks later. They
expect to have their ribbon-cutting ceremony in October, at which time they will
go online with their first plant, producing 10 Megawatts of electricity,
constantly.
Seeing as they are just a few hours drive south of me, I plan to be there.
Raser presently has eight plants being built. The Beaver plant, named
"Thermo" for the "Thermo Hot Springs" where it is located,
will be the first commissioned, to be followed by two more in Utah. Other
plants are under construction in New Mexico, Oregon, and Nevada.
Though the "Thermo" plant in Beaver County will start at just 10 MW;
their 25,000 acres, which can produce 230 MW, was recently expanded to an
additional 30,000 leased acres, giving a total potential capacity of around 500
MW at that location.
I should mention that the 10 MW is "net" output. The total
capacity is about 14 MW. Three to four megawatts will be required to run
the pumps pulling the water up from the hot reservoirs and then back down.
In cooler months, when the environmental factors will help cool the secondary
fluid, the net output will be more like 11 MW.
Modular
Another advantage of the Raser design is its modularity. The 10 MW plant
is actually composed of ten pods of five, each having its own piping. It
wouldn't be much problem to shut down one generator or one pod for maintenance,
while still keeping the plant operational.
The modularity also contributes to the affordable price tag.
Constant Output for Base Load Capability
The capitalization costs for a Raser Geothermal plant are comparable to a wind
farm or a utility-scale solar plant. But where Raser excels is in the
speed at which those costs are recuperated. Solar is only available about
1/3 of the time. Wind is likewise transient and even less
predictable. However, geothermal is very consistent, which means that not only
can it be used to provide base load power, but the time for recouping costs is
that much shorter.
The return on investment is estimated at 12-18 months for the Raser system.
Clean Energy
Like with wind and solar, the operational costs of geothermal plants are very
low, considering that the fuel source is free and clean. Neither are there
any CO2 or other harmful emissions.
However, traditional geothermal plants are not necessarily "clean"
inasmuch as the sulfur content that comes up with the water ends up being vented
into the air.
Not so with Raser. Theirs is a closed loop system. They drill 9-
to14-inch diameter holes down into the geothermal source and pump up water from
the heated aquifers, then pump the water back down into the ground where it came
from. The water doesn't see air, so the pipe oxidation/corrosion issues
are greatly diminished. And any sulfur goes back down where it came from.
Low-Impact Footprint
A Raser installation requires about 600 acres per ten megawatt it generates.
However, only five acres are required for the plant itself. The other land
is still available for farming, ranching, or other use. Rather than buy
the land, Raser leases the land -- an arrangement that suits its owner very
well, adding an income stream on top of what they were already using the land
for.
The cooling tower for the plant, which brings the secondary fluid back down to
about 50ΊF, does utilize local above-ground water as it passes through, but the
temperatures involved (~110ΊF max) are well below the boiling point of water,
so very little water is lost to evaporation above normal. So the water
effectively passes through unused.
Reaching Full Potential in the United States
According to a study
published last year by MIT, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, ten
percent of U.S. electricity needs could potentially be supplied by geothermal
energy. That's 100,000 MW or 100 Gigawatts.
Considering the speed and low cost with which Raser can implement their
technology, Richard Putnam of Raser, said that it is possible that they could
fully deploy all that geothermal potential within ten years, providing a tenth
of the portfolio toward answering Al Gore's challenge
to United States to produce 100% of its electricity from renewable sources
within ten years.
When asked how their technology compares to other geothermal solutions, Putnam
replied: "Considering our ability to rapidly deploy using low-cost,
off-the-shelf, heat exchanger technology, that pretty much puts us well in front
of the class."
Upon reviewing this story, Putnam providing this
clarification:
"Your italicized statement about generating 100GW implies that Raser is going to do all that. We are ambitious, but I do not think we have the capabilities to doing that in 10 years. Our goal is to initiate the development of about 100MW 150MW each year over the next 10 years. I know you asked if it was plausible to see 100GW of geothermal developed in 10 years. I think it is a possibility but that would have to be done by more than one company. It would take a number of companies working very hard to meet that goal."
Other Applications
This same technology by Raser can be used to harvest waste heat from power
plants, whether nuclear, natural gas, coal, or even solar. The left-over,
low-grade heat will work just fine to drive the UTC generators manufactured for
Raser. This otherwise unused source of energy could probably answer for
yet another five percent of the U.S. energy portfolio.
About Raser Technologies
Raser (NYSE Arca: RZ) is a publicly traded, environmentally focused
technology licensing and development company operating in two business segments.
Rasers Power Systems segment is seeking to develop
clean, renewable geothermal electric power plants and bottom-cycling operations,
incorporating licensed heat transfer technology and Rasers
Symetron technology developed internally by its
Transportation and Industrial Technology segment. Rasers
Transportation and Industrial Technology segment focuses on extended-range
plug-in-hybrid vehicle solutions and using Rasers
Symetron technology to improve the torque density
and efficiency of the electric motors and drive systems used in electric and
hybrid-electric vehicle powertrains and industrial applications.
# # #
SOURCES:
- Phone interview on Sept. 4, 2008 with Richard Putnam, Investor Relations
for Raser Technologies..
- Sept. 3, 2008 Press
Release
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Page composed by Sterling
D. Allan Sept. 4, 2008
Last updated October 20, 2008
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