Copyright 2007 Montserrat Geothermal Power Company, Ltd.
Past
The first geothermal power station was built at Landrello, in Italy, and the second was at Wairekei in New Zealand. Others are in Iceland, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. (Source)
The first use of geothermal energy for electric power production started in Italy with experimental work by Prince Gionori Conti between 1904 and 1905. The first power plant (250 kWe) was commissioned in 1913 at Larderello. This is the oldest Geothermal plant still in operation, producing 100 years of renewable energy.
Click here for a virtual tour of a geothermal power plant.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a geothermal power demonstration plant was constructed in the Raft River [in Idaho, western USA] geothermal resources. The project included the drilling of five production wells, two injection wells and seven monitoring wells. The project demonstrated that 7 megawatts of electricity could be successfully generated using the geothermal waters. The site was closed down after completion of the demonstrations project.
The first use of geothermal energy for electric power production started in Italy with experimental work by Prince Gionori Conti between 1904 and 1905. The first power plant (250 kWe) was commissioned in 1913 at Larderello. This is the oldest Geothermal plant still in operation, producing 100 years of renewable energy.
Click here for a virtual tour of a geothermal power plant.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a geothermal power demonstration plant was constructed in the Raft River [in Idaho, western USA] geothermal resources. The project included the drilling of five production wells, two injection wells and seven monitoring wells. The project demonstrated that 7 megawatts of electricity could be successfully generated using the geothermal waters. The site was closed down after completion of the demonstrations project.
About Geothermal Power
Once you've built a geothermal power station, the energy is almost free.
It may need a little energy to run a pump, but this can be taken from the energy being generated.
It may need a little energy to run a pump, but this can be taken from the energy being generated.
Geothermal
Present
The world is running out of oil. Global warming is a scientific fact. Oil is a finite resource and heavy reliance on oil contributes to global warming
Click here for illustrations showing different models of power generation from geothermal.
New Zealand is a country with active volcanos. They also use Geothermal Power. Mighty River Power Chief Executive Doug Heffernan said today that geothermal generation would play an increasingly vital role in New Zealand's energy future, announcing the country could ultimately develop a potential 1200 megawatts (MW) of the renewable resource - sufficient to reliably power 1.2 million homes.
The island connection -- Samoa and Montserrat. Both share the difficulties cause by the increasing cost of fossil fuels and the cost shipment of fuel. Both are looking to Geothermal power generation to lessen dependence on fossil fuel.
Global Sustainable Energy Islands Initiative
"Most Small Island Developing States are already ill-equipped to deal with their existing environmental problems, such as coastal and coral degradation, explosive population growth, over development and pollution. These problems will worsen as the impacts of land submergence, beach erosion, coral damage and storms take their toll.
Climate change threatens the very existence of many AOSIS members [Alliance of Small Island States] even though they are the innocent, the smallest emitters of greenhouse gases. Nations such as the Maldives, Tuvalu and Kiribati are just a few metres above sea level.
Compounding the challenge of global warming, most Small Island Developing States struggle with expensive and sometimes unreliable fossil fuel imports. Diesel is the dominant source of electricity, at least for those with it, and can cost as much as US40 cents/kWh. Seventy per cent of Pacific Islanders, however, still do not have access."
Click here for illustrations showing different models of power generation from geothermal.
New Zealand is a country with active volcanos. They also use Geothermal Power. Mighty River Power Chief Executive Doug Heffernan said today that geothermal generation would play an increasingly vital role in New Zealand's energy future, announcing the country could ultimately develop a potential 1200 megawatts (MW) of the renewable resource - sufficient to reliably power 1.2 million homes.
The island connection -- Samoa and Montserrat. Both share the difficulties cause by the increasing cost of fossil fuels and the cost shipment of fuel. Both are looking to Geothermal power generation to lessen dependence on fossil fuel.
Global Sustainable Energy Islands Initiative
"Most Small Island Developing States are already ill-equipped to deal with their existing environmental problems, such as coastal and coral degradation, explosive population growth, over development and pollution. These problems will worsen as the impacts of land submergence, beach erosion, coral damage and storms take their toll.
Climate change threatens the very existence of many AOSIS members [Alliance of Small Island States] even though they are the innocent, the smallest emitters of greenhouse gases. Nations such as the Maldives, Tuvalu and Kiribati are just a few metres above sea level.
Compounding the challenge of global warming, most Small Island Developing States struggle with expensive and sometimes unreliable fossil fuel imports. Diesel is the dominant source of electricity, at least for those with it, and can cost as much as US40 cents/kWh. Seventy per cent of Pacific Islanders, however, still do not have access."
Future
- Carbon emissions trading
Wikipedia entry on Carbon Credits: Carbon credits are measured in units of certified emission reductions (CERs). Each CER is equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide reduction. India has emerged as a world leader in reduction of greenhouse gases by adopting Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) in the past two years.
Developed countries that have exceeded the levels can either cut down emissions, or borrow or buy carbon credits from developing countries.
WORLD-WIDE DIRECT-USES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 2005
John W. Lund
Programme Geothermal Workshop . . . Rotorua.
An updated summary of the world-wide direct utilization of geothermal energy is presented based on material gathered in country update papers for the World Geothermal Congress 2005 (WGC2005), held in Turkey. Data are presented from 72 countries with a total installed capacity of 28,268 MWt (an increase of 87% over data from WGC2000) and an annual energy use of 273,372 TJ or 75,943 Gwh ( an increase of 43% compared to data from (WG2000). The largest use is from geothermal heat pumps, which as increased 276% over the past five years, with over 1.3 million units installed world-wide. Space heating, district heating, greenhouse heating, fish farming, agriculture crop drying, industrial processing, and cooling and snow melting are discussed long with examples. New trends in the direct-use development are combined heat and power plants which are gaining popularity in Europe using resources as low as 100oC. The annual energy savings amounts to an equivalent 129 million barrels (19.2 tonnes) of fuel oil, 17 million tonnes of carbon and 62 million tonnes of CO2. With the recent increases in fuel oil and natural gas prices, the use of geothermal energy for direct utilization will certainly increase in the future.
Programme Abstracts can be found here.
An updated summary of the world-wide direct utilization of geothermal energy is presented based on material gathered in country update papers for the World Geothermal Congress 2005 (WGC2005), held in Turkey. Data are presented from 72 countries with a total installed capacity of 28,268 MWt (an increase of 87% over data from WGC2000) and an annual energy use of 273,372 TJ or 75,943 Gwh ( an increase of 43% compared to data from (WG2000). The largest use is from geothermal heat pumps, which as increased 276% over the past five years, with over 1.3 million units installed world-wide. Space heating, district heating, greenhouse heating, fish farming, agriculture crop drying, industrial processing, and cooling and snow melting are discussed long with examples. New trends in the direct-use development are combined heat and power plants which are gaining popularity in Europe using resources as low as 100oC. The annual energy savings amounts to an equivalent 129 million barrels (19.2 tonnes) of fuel oil, 17 million tonnes of carbon and 62 million tonnes of CO2. With the recent increases in fuel oil and natural gas prices, the use of geothermal energy for direct utilization will certainly increase in the future.
Programme Abstracts can be found here.
Here is a transcript of selected Quotes from pdf file, click here for complete document
Geothermal Power on Montserrat - Professor Paul Younger's February 2006 report.
Executive summary
"Appraisal of available data on the hydrothermal system of Montserrat reveals the existence of several major hydrothermal circulation systems on and around the Sufrière Hills Volcano, one of which is safely accessible at present in the Elberton-Richmond area of the current Daytime Access Zone. This system naturally discharges hot, deep-seated Na-Cl brines with clear indications (in B and Li contents) of prior interaction with super-heated steam at depth. The hydrothermal system in this area is a realistic prospect for exploratory drilling (estimated to cost not more than US$1M), with a view to developing a power plant of 5 MW capacity in the first instance. The capital cost of such a plant is estimated at around US$13M, and it could be expected to have operating costs in the region of 2 cents (US) per kWh. The overall cost of electricity (levelised over a 30-year plant design life) is estimated at not more than 4.5 cents (US) per kWh, and possibly as low as 4 cents per kWh. It is conceivable that a substantial proportion of the development and operating costs of the system could be recoverable by trading the carbon-emission reduction benefits of the plants on one or more international carbon markets.
To improve understanding of the target geothermal resource, it is recommended that more coherent and frequent monitoring of the coastal hydrothermal manifestations in the Plymouth area be undertaken. Firm estimates should now be obtained for drilling of 4 to 6 `slimline' exploration boreholes and 2 production-scale boreholes ought to be obtained from reputable international companies with specific experience in volcanogenic geothermal fields. It is envisaged that exploration boreholes could be completed within 12 months of a decision to initiate the tendering process. Once information from exploration boreholes is available, and while drilling of production boreholes is still underway, it will be possible to derive sufficiently precise specifications for the final wellhead turbine plant that firm quotations can be obtained from reputable suppliers. To judge from prior experience, it is likely that the elapsed time between firm ordering and on-site commissioning will be between 14 and 17 months. Overall, if a decision is taken to go ahead with developing 5 MW of geothermal power capacity in the DAZ of Montserrat, it is likely that it will take at least 26 months, and possibly as long as three years before commissioning of the plant can be achieved. In the medium-term future, it may be possible to exploit temporary differences between power production and demand to produce hydrogen for use in vehicles on the island, completing the transition to a `fossil-fuel-free' wholly green `Emerald Isle'. In the long-term (> 10 years from the commissioning of a 5 MW plant), and especially when other geothermal prospects currently in the Exclusion Zone become accessible once more, it is conceivable that power production could be increased by an order of magnitude, facilitating the development of an export business for the supply of green electricity to neighbouring islands." [end executive summary, or article Abstract]
From the report on page 10
"Even before the onset of the ongoing eruptive period in 1995, the Sufrière Hills Volcano of Montserrat would have been a good target for geothermal exploration, because:
(i) The volcano already displayed "one of the most active hydrothermal systems amongst Lesser Antilles volcanoes, with widely distributed hot springs and fumarolic vents" (Boudon et al, 1998).
Within a general classification established by the British Geological Survey (BGS) for the hydrogeological terrains found in the small volcanic islands of the Eastern Caribbean, the Soufrière Hills Volcano falls into the category most favourable for the presence of significant bodies of groundwater, i.e. gabundant upland rainfall, coinciding with widespread Pleistocene and younger pyroclastics [which] ensures high water tables even at high elevationsh (Robins et al. 1990).
pg. 21
The Montserrat Hydrothermal System in context
The conceptual model for the present-day hydrothermal system in the Plymouth area is extremely encouraging from the point of view of geothermal exploration, as it is precisely in other areas which conform to this model that the majority of the world's most prolific geothermal reservoirs have been successfully explored, developed and economically exploited. The full roll-call of successful geothermal power plants exploiting hydrothermal systems of this type would fill a book; some of the more prominent examples include the major geothermal fields of Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Central American (DiPippo 2005). Within the Caribbean, the only successful geothermal development to day, i.e. The Bouillante Field (Basse Terre Island, Guadeloupe) exploits a natural hydrothermal system which is in every detail analogous to that described above on Montserrat, save that the hydrochemical indicators of shallow steam resources on Basse Terre (Bromback et al. 2000) are not even so propitious as those on Montserrat. Other geothermal prospects which have been partly explored to date elsewhere in the Caribbean also conform to the same generic hydrogeochemical/geothermal model . . . which has been shown to apply so accurately to Montserrat. This is true for instance, of the Qualibou Caldera on St. Lucia (Williamson and Wright 1978; Goff and Vuataz 1984), the Wotten Waven district on Dominica (Demange et al. 1985), and the Morne Rouge and Diamant areas on Martinique (Sanjuan et al. 200). There are thus abundant grounds for confidence in the ability of the hydrothermal system on the northwestern flanks of the Soufrière Hills Volcano of Montserrat as a serious prospect for a wet steam field at least as prolific as that of Bouillante which has been supplying Guadeloupe since the early 1970s.
pg. 32 " 4. Summary and recommendations . . . All indications are that the hydrothermal system in the area between St. George's Hill and the coast remains robust and represents a realistic prospect for exploratory drilling with a view to developing a power plant of 5 MW capacity in the first instance.
. . . It is likely that the elapsed time between firm ordering and on-site commissioning will be between 14 and 17 months.
. . . Overall, if a decision is taken to go ahead with developing 5 MW of geothermal power capacity in the DAZ of Montserrat, it is likely that it will take at least 26 months, and possible as long as three years, before commissioning of the plant can be achieved."
http://www.caribbeanvolcanoes.com/montserrat/geothermaldata.htm
http://www.montserratutilities.com/renewables.htm
Geothermal Power on Montserrat - Paul Younger report Feb06
click on the above link for the pdf file about 40 pages but well worth the time it takes to read Professor Younger's report.
Geothermal Power on Montserrat - Professor Paul Younger's February 2006 report.
Executive summary
"Appraisal of available data on the hydrothermal system of Montserrat reveals the existence of several major hydrothermal circulation systems on and around the Sufrière Hills Volcano, one of which is safely accessible at present in the Elberton-Richmond area of the current Daytime Access Zone. This system naturally discharges hot, deep-seated Na-Cl brines with clear indications (in B and Li contents) of prior interaction with super-heated steam at depth. The hydrothermal system in this area is a realistic prospect for exploratory drilling (estimated to cost not more than US$1M), with a view to developing a power plant of 5 MW capacity in the first instance. The capital cost of such a plant is estimated at around US$13M, and it could be expected to have operating costs in the region of 2 cents (US) per kWh. The overall cost of electricity (levelised over a 30-year plant design life) is estimated at not more than 4.5 cents (US) per kWh, and possibly as low as 4 cents per kWh. It is conceivable that a substantial proportion of the development and operating costs of the system could be recoverable by trading the carbon-emission reduction benefits of the plants on one or more international carbon markets.
To improve understanding of the target geothermal resource, it is recommended that more coherent and frequent monitoring of the coastal hydrothermal manifestations in the Plymouth area be undertaken. Firm estimates should now be obtained for drilling of 4 to 6 `slimline' exploration boreholes and 2 production-scale boreholes ought to be obtained from reputable international companies with specific experience in volcanogenic geothermal fields. It is envisaged that exploration boreholes could be completed within 12 months of a decision to initiate the tendering process. Once information from exploration boreholes is available, and while drilling of production boreholes is still underway, it will be possible to derive sufficiently precise specifications for the final wellhead turbine plant that firm quotations can be obtained from reputable suppliers. To judge from prior experience, it is likely that the elapsed time between firm ordering and on-site commissioning will be between 14 and 17 months. Overall, if a decision is taken to go ahead with developing 5 MW of geothermal power capacity in the DAZ of Montserrat, it is likely that it will take at least 26 months, and possibly as long as three years before commissioning of the plant can be achieved. In the medium-term future, it may be possible to exploit temporary differences between power production and demand to produce hydrogen for use in vehicles on the island, completing the transition to a `fossil-fuel-free' wholly green `Emerald Isle'. In the long-term (> 10 years from the commissioning of a 5 MW plant), and especially when other geothermal prospects currently in the Exclusion Zone become accessible once more, it is conceivable that power production could be increased by an order of magnitude, facilitating the development of an export business for the supply of green electricity to neighbouring islands." [end executive summary, or article Abstract]
From the report on page 10
"Even before the onset of the ongoing eruptive period in 1995, the Sufrière Hills Volcano of Montserrat would have been a good target for geothermal exploration, because:
(i) The volcano already displayed "one of the most active hydrothermal systems amongst Lesser Antilles volcanoes, with widely distributed hot springs and fumarolic vents" (Boudon et al, 1998).
Within a general classification established by the British Geological Survey (BGS) for the hydrogeological terrains found in the small volcanic islands of the Eastern Caribbean, the Soufrière Hills Volcano falls into the category most favourable for the presence of significant bodies of groundwater, i.e. gabundant upland rainfall, coinciding with widespread Pleistocene and younger pyroclastics [which] ensures high water tables even at high elevationsh (Robins et al. 1990).
pg. 21
The Montserrat Hydrothermal System in context
The conceptual model for the present-day hydrothermal system in the Plymouth area is extremely encouraging from the point of view of geothermal exploration, as it is precisely in other areas which conform to this model that the majority of the world's most prolific geothermal reservoirs have been successfully explored, developed and economically exploited. The full roll-call of successful geothermal power plants exploiting hydrothermal systems of this type would fill a book; some of the more prominent examples include the major geothermal fields of Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Central American (DiPippo 2005). Within the Caribbean, the only successful geothermal development to day, i.e. The Bouillante Field (Basse Terre Island, Guadeloupe) exploits a natural hydrothermal system which is in every detail analogous to that described above on Montserrat, save that the hydrochemical indicators of shallow steam resources on Basse Terre (Bromback et al. 2000) are not even so propitious as those on Montserrat. Other geothermal prospects which have been partly explored to date elsewhere in the Caribbean also conform to the same generic hydrogeochemical/geothermal model . . . which has been shown to apply so accurately to Montserrat. This is true for instance, of the Qualibou Caldera on St. Lucia (Williamson and Wright 1978; Goff and Vuataz 1984), the Wotten Waven district on Dominica (Demange et al. 1985), and the Morne Rouge and Diamant areas on Martinique (Sanjuan et al. 200). There are thus abundant grounds for confidence in the ability of the hydrothermal system on the northwestern flanks of the Soufrière Hills Volcano of Montserrat as a serious prospect for a wet steam field at least as prolific as that of Bouillante which has been supplying Guadeloupe since the early 1970s.
pg. 32 " 4. Summary and recommendations . . . All indications are that the hydrothermal system in the area between St. George's Hill and the coast remains robust and represents a realistic prospect for exploratory drilling with a view to developing a power plant of 5 MW capacity in the first instance.
. . . It is likely that the elapsed time between firm ordering and on-site commissioning will be between 14 and 17 months.
. . . Overall, if a decision is taken to go ahead with developing 5 MW of geothermal power capacity in the DAZ of Montserrat, it is likely that it will take at least 26 months, and possible as long as three years, before commissioning of the plant can be achieved."
http://www.caribbeanvolcanoes.com/montserrat/geothermaldata.htm
http://www.montserratutilities.com/renewables.htm
Geothermal Power on Montserrat - Paul Younger report Feb06
click on the above link for the pdf file about 40 pages but well worth the time it takes to read Professor Younger's report.