Bali Szabo lives in Hailey.
A recent spate of articles in the Idaho Mountain Express on Idaho's energy policies gave the impression that the only alternative to fossil-fuel power generation is wind (or nuclear). This state sits on top of an abundant, renewable resource yet to be tapped—hot water. It ranges from 160 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and anywhere there is a hot spring there may also be a reservoir of hyper-heated water a kilometer or more underground.
There has been very little reliable, up-to-date information on geo-thermal power generation, and that has been an obstacle to its use. This is a cost-effective, turnkey technology that can be deployed as a part of a portfolio of alternative energy generation methods like biomass, solar and wind. Hawaii generates 25 percent of its electricity this way, the Phillippines 27 percent, Nevada 9 percent, and California 5 percent. Half of all of California's alternative energy power comes from geo-thermal sources. In Idaho? The answer is zero.
Once a reservoir is located, you drill down to it, pipe up the hot water and steam and use it to turn the turbine blades, which then generate electricity. There's no need for coal, oil or gas to do the same thing. Once the water or steam cools and condenses, it is re-injected back into the reservoir. The earth reheats it (magma) and up it comes again. There is never any interaction with freshwater aquifers. Plants use very little groundwater, about five gallons per kilowatt-hour compared with 360 gal1ons for a fossil fuel plant. This is a vital consideration for us, because water is scarce here.
Geo-thermal plants emit only steam. No mercury, carbon oxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide or particulate matter, all of which are spewed by fossil fuel plants. These plants are quiet, have a low-visibility profile, use only a small amount of land, and have virtually no impact on flora, fauna, agriculture, scenic values, and air or water quality. Hot water can also be used to heat homes, especially in areas where the reservoirs are only a cool 160 F. Furthermore, these plants are not climate dependent. They produce 24 hours, seven days a week. They also do not depend on commodity price fluctuations. Because of increased demand, those prices are trending up, and may yet spiral out of control. If, as some predict, we run out of oil in 40 years, we'd do well to hedge our bets and generate as much of our energy as we can.
Geo-thermal meets Idaho Rep. Butch Otter's consistency requirement. No doubt it still costs a little more than conventional fuels, but those costs are coming down with improving technology and a wider adoption of it in the West. The real issue is how to measure cost? A 1995 study showed that costs of power generation on average would increase 20 percent if environmental factors were included. There is the human cost of coal miners' health and lives, public health costs, global-warming issues and road and rail infrastructure issues.
It is important to realize that every megawatt generated by alternative means is that much less tonnage of emissions into the atmosphere. There is no question that fossil fuels are, at the moment, convenient, plentiful, inexpensive and, perhaps, irreplaceable. But we better start thinking not only about saving money, but about saving ourselves. What's that worth?
