GreenFire Energy Inc. to Partner with Calpine Corporation to Implement Its Steam Dominated GreenLoop Technology
San Francisco, California – February 17, 2022, GreenFire Energy Inc. announced today that it was awarded more than $2.7 million by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to install its Steam Dominated GreenLoop (SDGL) technology at The Geysers geothermal field in California. GreenFire Energy will work closely with Calpine Corporation’s indirect subsidiary, Geysers Power Company, LLC to finalize agreements and host the demonstration project at its facilities at The Geysers in California, USA.
Funding for the test well was provided through the CEC’s Bringing Rapid Innovation Development to Green Energy (BRIDGE) program, which awards follow-on funding for promising energy technologies that previously received an award from an eligible CEC program or U.S. federal agency. GreenFire Energy received a CEC grant in 2017 for its demonstration of a closed-loop technology at the Coso geothermal field in Coso, California.
A large portion of The Geysers geothermal resource mainly produces superheated steam. This project will demonstrate the use of GreenFire Energy’s SDGL technology to economically produce power without impacting the geothermal reservoir’s capacity or reducing resource pressure in steam dominated reservoirs.
To demonstrate the SDGL technology, GreenFire Energy will install a specialized down bore heat exchanger in an existing low-production well. Results will be analyzed using proprietary GreenLoop Accurate Resource and Project Analytics to determine the technical and economic feasibility of using SDGL at full scale at The Geysers and in other steam or 2-phase dominated geothermal resources in California and beyond.
“The CEC is proud to support this innovative demonstration of geothermal technology,” said CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Tapping into this valuable renewable resource provides yet another pathway for California to lead the way to a clean energy future.”
Funding for the BRIDGE program comes from the CEC’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program. EPIC is California’s premier clean energy research program.
The Geysers, located north of San Francisco, California, is the single largest geothermal resource in operation in the world. Geysers Power Company’s operation at The Geysers has 13 geothermal power plants generating 725 MW representing about 10 percent of California’s renewable electric energy and 34 percent of the U.S. geothermal generation making it the largest geothermal power producer in the U.S. “We are excited about the opportunity to work with GreenFire to deploy this innovative technology at The Geysers” said Calpine’s Robert Parker, Vice President of Geothermal Regional Operations. “This is a natural part of Calpine’s ongoing comprehensive strategy that includes major investments in geothermal, grid-connected storage, and high-efficiency plants to power a cleaner future. As we continue to explore state-of-the art technologies, it is our hope that it is just the beginning of what we can accomplish to sustain and enhance The Geysers operations to help California meet its renewable goals.”
“GreenFire Energy’s Steam Dominated GreenLoop technology has tremendous potential to sustainably expand power production from steam and 2-phase dominated geothermal fields worldwide. Additionally, the economics of our solutions are transformational in the geothermal industry where we can retrofit underproducing wells, expand production from such resources with new wells, and enable greenfield projects, too, in each case with lower-cost energy and higher return on investments (ROIs),” says Joseph Scherer, CEO, GreenFire Energy Inc.
More information on GreenFire Energy’s SDGL technology can be obtained from the recent research paper “Closed-Loop Geothermal in Steam Dominated Reservoirs,” that is available on GreenFire Energy’s website.
About Calpine Corporation
Calpine is charting a cleaner future for California. Our state has set ambitious clean energy goals and The Geysers is helping energy providers meet their clean energy targets by supplying green, reliable, geothermal energy. Located north of San Francisco in the Mayacamas Mountains, spanning 45 sq miles, The Geysers is the single largest geothermal electrical operation in the world. With 13 power plants owned and operated by Geysers Power Company, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Calpine Corporation, Geysers Power Company reliably supports California with up to 725 MW of clean, geothermal energy every hour of every day. Each year, the company’s operation prevents the emission of 2.4 million tons of carbon dioxide that would have otherwise been emitted by existing power generation facilities - this is the equivalent of removing 432,500 cars from the road.
Calpine and Geysers Power Company are committed to sustainable management and through innovative recycled water projects, environmental problems for local communities are solved while simultaneously generating reliable energy for California from The Geysers. To learn more visit www.calpine.com; https://gogeothermal.geysers.com/.
About GreenFire Energy Inc.
GreenFire Energy develops and implements innovative geothermal technology to accelerate the world’s transition to clean, continuous renewable energy. GreenFire’s GreenLoop™ is a closed-loop geothermal technology that extracts and transports heat from the earth to be used for geothermal power generation. GreenFire Energy delivers fast, low-cost, and high ROI geothermal retrofit, expansion, and greenfield projects. This scalable business model has led to commercial relationships with many of the world’s premier geothermal operators.
GreenFire Energy’s technology has been developed with grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and research conducted with U.S. National Laboratories, major universities, and eminent experts. The company has extensive international patents. GreenFire Energy is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA. www.greenfireenergy.com
Media Contacts:
Hollis Chin Brett Kerr
VP Marketing Vice President, External Affairs
GreenFire Energy Inc. Calpine Corporation
+1.888.899.7363 713-830-8809