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<br />Two men find spreading geothermal gospel isn't all dry
<br />
<br />Two indi\"iduilh with widely dinT'o('
<br />bad.a::round., ;ue lafll;e1y rc;,pon~ibk for
<br />making <;Cleoli,t", legislator; and l"Olln-
<br />tries around the world aware uf the po.
<br />tential of l!;C'O!ilt'rmal rt"SOurct"l>.
<br />One. Rotx.rt \\' R('", grologj"t and
<br />profeso;or of ph\Sl(:~ ill lht" Gniversil" of
<br />California al Ri\'t'rsidf' (l'CR}. is called
<br />the "enlreprellt"ur of gl,othermal d("vd.
<br />opmt'nl in lilt" U.S." by Cello'" gefllhcr+
<br />malisb. He has lx-"Il rmllnin~ up ;tOd
<br />down California's Imperial Va\1e\' for
<br />years tdling annl!le illlcn."SIt'd thai
<br />thl:'rC wa.. p'",eT and ....,ller under tl-w
<br />valle\"" arid surface. T,_o yt'otn ago. he
<br />says. he linally cOIl\inn~d the Burt',m of
<br />Rcclmn31ion to drill for watl'r.
<br />Rl''\. h;l\ di;.co,:ered that hi.. troll bit...
<br />an'n"' all technical hut mallV arc finan-
<br />cial. Ri!:ht now. the chal\cnl!(' i, 10 tind
<br />the llloney III conlinue Iht' Imperial
<br />"allc\' cxplorations after the fiscal \ear
<br />ell(k "'If \\T're to have a d~'l1lonstnHion
<br />of the I:"eotheflnal P()\\'cr pOlential of
<br />low-sillinilY water it"s ~oinl!: to have \0
<br />bt- an an of Con\,!rt"ss.
<br />'"Geothermal exploration IS a lont:"
<br />
<br />lOug:h road:" sa\S R(~x" "and it innlln"s
<br />substalllial ctfort and funding:' Rex is
<br />now spt'nding a good deal flf his curren I
<br />",lbbalical from LTR hauling congress-
<br />men for a Ilro;l hand look at tht" Impe-
<br />rial "aIle" and Baja California fidds.
<br />,jJ.lnC'i Barnea. on Ih,' ntln"r hand. ,ib
<br />behind his d~k a.. head of the Re-
<br />..ources and Tr;Jnspon Section at Iht"
<br />LJnilt"d :\'alions, boldine; hi, lislt'nns
<br />,pt'lIbound \\'hile he lalk, ahllllt his
<br />Illlbbv-gclllhtTmill 1'"",)\11'(("5, "arlll'.a
<br />came to the C,:\'. frolll Pakstine in
<br />IY,il with dn~j('t"'!> in t"cOn()mIL~ to set
<br />up tht' <;ft'lion
<br />"I\'t' alway' bt-en intt"I't"IC'l1 in natu-
<br />ral resourCt'S, (',en tho\l2:h Ill\ dl'gn"C'"
<br /><Ire in economic..:' ..ay' Barllt~a, .' IX--
<br />cause I am not ,1 sot.ntist r\'t' b(,,<:,n able
<br />to karn ,lboUl all the \'arious lields and
<br />sU~2:esl ideas Ihat mi~ht not b<- ob,'inus
<br />to IhoSt" drt'pl\ in\"oln'd:' In Ihe P,l,>t,
<br />man\' of his ideas on ~eolhermal dt'\'e1-
<br />opment ha\"e' hc'('n laughed al.
<br />"(;t'T1eral1\', id..a,> It'om" up wilh ,He
<br />not acn>pted immcdiald\"; it lakn OIh-
<br />ers man\" ~Tars to S('e till' lighl" lit'
<br />
<br />
<br />mall\' rainlt"is and arid alT,IS. lhe dis-
<br />00\'('[\' of a \\("1 ~t"oth("rmal lidd can
<br />change the re')l1<1II1\ of thl;" ,U'ca, nw
<br />exploration in tilt' Imprrial \-alle~' i,
<br />pl'lmarih' for l,ateL Rl"" twlie\'("S that
<br />Ihere is a resl'r\'oir of 5 billion 10 7 bil.
<br />lion acre-ft of w,llt'r und,>r the \'alk\',
<br />Large scak expl(>ralion of the \'alley for
<br />wau'r onlv Ix'gan aftt"1' C.on~n''''s p;lsst"d
<br />Ihe Colorado Ri\'t'r Basins Project ,\el
<br />of 19hH, This requirtil Ihe Bureau of
<br />Reclamation 10 supplement thr Colo-
<br />radn Ri\'N wilh '25 million acrt:At of
<br />wau'r b\' 1977 w mt'i'1 th.' U.S."" \real....
<br />oblie;ations to \kxico, \\exic;ul ilfig-a-
<br />
<br />tion farmers ha\'e complained for ,rOll'S
<br />about lht' hi1!:h salinit\, of th(' Coloradn
<br />whrn il rt',H'hn \kxico,
<br />R("\ \'ntat'd tlw picture and tnld
<br />BuRre th;!t all Ilw \,'att.1' lbe\' nrt'd.'d
<br />la' practicall\ right und(', lheir f("('1.
<br />"The ft'onornlt's of th(' silualion arc ap'
<br />f>l'aling:' sa\" Rl."X, The co-.t of pr.,duc-
<br />ing drsalinated waler h\ g("olillTTllal
<br />t'lwn~y would run from one \0 twO n.nt..
<br />per 1 million Blu"". wh{"feas ht'al frolll
<br />nude;lr SOllr(T'S i, ,lrOlllld '..!() 10 12 tTnts
<br />,md from oil ;uld 1,!as it is do<..t'r tu ,10
<br />c:enh. In Ihl' -.amI" ,',dlev. hut ..oulh of
<br />Ill\" bordl"r. Ihe \lcxicans have ,tllolwr-
<br />
<br />World roundup 01 developed and planned geothermal powerplants
<br />
<br />1t",1~: in'I",lkd cap,,,iIV ,,(:\7tJ,OflO l,;" <II Ltrd..rdlu dnd \'lfl(MI k" al \t!l\Ut' Aml>l\,l
<br />l!.....: Th.. (;..,....1" ha,l3'!,f:I(l() kw aod "ill h.tH' m.'r l"O(}.Il(l11 l,;" in earl, 71k
<br />:'\('''' I.(';tland: \,'.ur"l,;('1 has \<1'!.lMMI \;,,, "nll I !O.fl(lI\ i, pl.lnn..d for I\n,..dland.
<br />\I..xiru: Cnro I'n("lO i(,..... nn lin.. lhi, \(';\f wlth 7.i,illll.) \;'w \\.;.,tltl,"" plant "P'"r:lle" ill
<br />I)alhc,
<br />J"pan: ha;:. a tol"l of ,I1,OOfI k" "I \Lu.uk"".l .md O\:ll,;t", 1\, e"fh iO, will h.i\T a t"t,d of
<br />1:\0.000 kw ,\I thnsr twO and.1l (';,)<,hol(at(',
<br />Ic"\and: l(("Otht"rmal U>L"'(! for space and I(I'L"('nhousr h('.ltllll(. hul ,I 17,1I00-k" planl i,
<br />plann.......
<br />t':-....R: h.I' a lotal of -',(l.7",tl k", '" P..illlht'l,k, l'.n,lIunka and 1\"I~hi,(' Bann\\'(' ,md "ill
<br />t""p.ind 1';'IITh..t,\;, b, i .,.iOO k",
<br />T"tal: in, tailed ;'!8,.:!;"O l,;"" pl;uln..J, 8!7 ,c1Il(I; III (',Irh ill~ 13:' milliun It"
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<br />En(llp,rrl(!lT,
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<br />....
<br />Rlt:
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<br />!'lmnt'a:"Jt'sah"bh.
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<br />ci{('s ,I,' an t;'xample (If Iht" "blindne:.s of
<br />sOlue scit"llti,ts" "twn hI" ~a\'e a lalk
<br />sorn1" ~'("an; ,I~() in \1ilan, Ht" ;:'U2:g,><;,[('d
<br />u,in~ gl."ol1wrm,tl sH',11ll tn dcsalin,tte
<br />wateL "The\' Ih"u~hl I W;I1O tTazv:'
<br />lie is no\\' quit~tl\' helpin'l' uode(.
<br />de\'c1op..'d t'l,untries dnTlop their g:t'il'
<br />th1"rrTJal pOlential .,\\'e ha\'t" feq\H''''''
<br />frolll I;) n,ulltries to h('lp them ('''plnl'e
<br />Iht'it' ~.'otlwnnal pOIl'ntial and tll(' li,t
<br />i, ~rowing:' Thl" l',:\', has ht>Ipt'd mort.
<br />than :10 countri,'s in ,I<lrtinc: '~"ploJ'-
<br />;,ti(,n of Iheir gcolhenual rt'sources,
<br />Barnea sa\'s: "Tt"n "r<lrs aeo an
<br />.-\mt~rican co;npan\' driliine. for nil hit
<br />hot waleI' .\Ild plul1;1;:ed up Ihe hole and
<br />dro\'c away. Ten yeaI'; fl'om now. III
<br />man\' pan, of Ibe world, hitlin~ hut
<br />"au'r instt~ad of nil may be a blessim;::'
<br />
<br />alion.tl dt',alin.ui'HI plant that ,>upplit"S
<br />:\B.OlllJ g:pd of t',mckn;:.ated water for
<br />Ih(" wnrkt'I'" nlllstfllt'lin2: the Cerra
<br />!'rwto pLtnL 11 lakes the ,wam frllm the
<br />H1rhill'" <lnd ,upplics potabk wateL
<br />l.lTis F d(" .-\nd,I, an l,tli~in..t'r Iw;(c1ing
<br />thL' Comisiun Fed''fal d.. F.l(....~trind.(d\
<br />c:eotlwrnMI wur\;, ,.\\s: "\\'(' h.n,. slUd-
<br />Il"d inn.'a.;ine. the capilt'it\'. ,\11 w(" nttd
<br />is a colkclOr and ;1 ,>vslt'm "I' radi.
<br />ation:' The fr1"$n water plalll, he says.
<br />1I'1"S onl\' (lIu'_lwelll\,-founh of the ca.
<br />p",'il\ of one well.
<br />BuR("(" ,tant'<i <I drilling program in
<br />lhe Imj'K'rial \'alle\ in .Janua~' to ex-
<br />plort" leml>l'ra\ll(e e.radient,> to a depth
<br />of 15nn fl. In OIl!" well. a It'mrwr<tIUu.
<br />of .!J\ F W;I' nw.I'lIfl'd at a deplh of
<br />5,5 fl. .lame... (),Bnel1, a,,;:.i~t.ult ('hid' of
<br />prnject d('\dnpnH'nt at BuR1"C. san
<br />that t1lt'Y hope III h,I'T a SLS-millioll
<br />tt'st w("H drillt"d dunI1l.: fisGII 19,2. and
<br />a .! 10 :l_millinn.cpd plotOlypc desalt.
<br />il11.: pbnl in "Ix'ralion b\ \(177, BlIRrt.
<br />and 11ll" ()tJin> of S"line \,'ala art- hop-
<br />ing In c:(>l "-1."1 million for II\(" 11\'" ti:.cal
<br />V1";\I''' .l"nine in 197:.!.
<br />(),Bri,~n thinks thai IhL" wain will be
<br />inl'xpt"nsi\'e, "Until the '\el\ i, drilkd
<br />,lOd w(' ha\'e e'pl.'ri("nee \\'ilh nperatin2:
<br />tht" dt.sotltinc. plan\. It i~ impo",ibk to
<br />f"<timal\". Hut W(' arc optillli'lic:'
<br />(Pltau Irlm Iht paet j
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<br />'1..,,';.1';171 E:\R 35
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