ElectraTherm to apply its own ORC technology to project in Northern Nevada

Alexander Richter 11 Eyl 2009

In a release “ElectraTherm, Inc.announced the planned deployment of two 50kW ElectraTherm Green Machines slated to generate electric power from geothermal heat at the Florida Canyon Mine in Northern Nevada.

Scheduled for commissioning in September, the project is the first commercial geothermal application of ElectraTherm`s Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology powered by its patented Twin Screw Expander.

Florida Canyon Mining, Inc. learned of ElectraTherm`s technology while looking to exploit the geothermal water used in their processes. The ElectraTherm Green Machines will take advantage of existing 220°F groundwater at Florida Canyon to create fuel-free, clean electrical power while cooling that geothermal water for further use in mining operations.

“We are proud to have a solution that makes green power from our geothermal energy that has, until now, been lost as waste heat,” said Joel Murphy, Vice President of Operations and General Manager at Florida Canyon Mines. “That green power is nearly free because we already pump the water for our mining operations. Florida Canyon Mining is committed to being part of the energy efficiency solution in America and we are developing multiple sources of clean power at the mine.”

ElectraTherm has contracted Premier Technology, Inc. headquartered in Blackfoot, Idaho, a top engineering and contracting firm in the energy recovery field, to install the piping interface between the geothermal resource and the Green Machines.

ElectraTherm`s heat-to-power technology dramatically improves energy efficiency at geothermal sites by exploiting the hot water found in mines as well as tens of thousands of capped oil wells and other small geothermal resources.

A forklift can easily place the skid mounted 5`x5` 50kW ElectraTherm Green Machine, making it a truly modular, scalable power plant. Containing only 3 components with moving parts, the Green Machine operates at improved levels of efficiency and reliability compared to conventional turbine driven variations.

“We are fielding interest from geothermal sites around the world who want to take advantage of ElectraTherm`s new technology to create power from untapped heat,” said Rob Emrich, ElectraTherm Vice President of Sales. “Compared to other forms of renewable energy technology, ElectraTherm offers one of the fastest payback periods in the industry, with long-term costs of under a penny per kilowatt hour. Our five foot by five foot system can access small and remote geothermal resources, which opens up a large market for creating electricity from geothermal heat.”

ElectraTherm announced in June that its Texas partner, Gulf Coast Green Energy, would employ Green Machines to make clean electricity at two projects funded by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America. The first of those projects will make power from heat captured in geothermal brine, a common
byproduct found in capped oil wells.”

Source: Company release via Reuters