$3 Billion For Cleantech & Alt Energy
Charles Morand The DOE made public earlier today the amount of money that will awarded to clean power projects in lieu of the usual tax breaks: $3 billion. This will allow project proponents to receive a direct cash grant now instead of a Production Tax Credit or an Investment Tax Credit later on. The guidance document notes the following: "Section 1603 of the Act’s tax title, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act, appropriates funds for payments to persons who place in service specified energy property during 2009 or 2010 or after 2010 if construction began...
World Energy Solutions (XWES) and Ram Power (RPG.TO) Appear Promising
From Small Fries to Big Shots? Part 1 of 2 by Bill Paul Feel like rolling the dice on some small alternative energy stocks that appear to have big-time potential? Just remember: sometimes you roll snake eyes. First up: World Energy Solutions Inc. (Symbol: XWES), which currently trades on NASDAQ for $3 and change per share. Worcester, MA-based World Energy Solutions operates online exchanges for energy and green commodities, including the one administered by Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Inc. (RGGI), the regulatory scheme under which 10 Northeastern and Middle Atlantic states "cap" their power plants' emissions by requiring...
Nevada Geothermal Power Inc.: Drilling Resumes at Blue Mountain Geothermal Site
Nevada Geothermal Power Inc. (NGLPF) reported that the next phase of development is underway at its Blue Mountain Geothermal site, with drilling to deepen the Deep Blue 2 (DB2) well by an additional 700 metres (2,300 feet). "We are investigating a potential deep - hotter production zone that would make Blue Mountain's economics extremely robust," said Brian Fairbank President and CEO. "A deep high temperature resource would allow us to use more efficient and cost effective 'dual-flash' technology similar to the 60MW power plant at the Dixie Valley high temperature field in Nevada. A Monte Carlo simulation...
Ormat’s Enhanced Geothermal Project Now On Line
Meg Cichon Ormat's 21.8 megawatt Desert Peak 2 plant in Nevada. Photo Source: Ormat A major challenge for the geothermal industry is reducing the risk of its exploration and drilling phase – there is a 40-60 percent chance that each $5-7 million well is ultimately deemed unproductive. But that statistic may soon change. In what many in the industry are calling a game-changer, the nation's first enhanced geothermal system (EGS) to supply electricity to the grid came online last week. ORMAT's Desert Peak 2 project is producing an...
Alterra Power: Deep Geothermal
by Debra Fiakas CFA Last week, one of the leaders in a development consortium, Iceland’s largest privately owned energy generator HS Orka hf, announced the completion of a project to prove the merits of deeper geothermal wells. The project in the Reykjanes Peninsula in southern Iceland reached 4,659 meters depth in January 2017, where temperatures measured 427 degrees Centigrade and fluid pressure was 340 bars. By all accounts the project was successful, suggesting that deep wells could a cost effective approach to geothermal energy. The drilling program was mentioned in early December 2015 a recent post “Hot...
Geothermal Transmission 101
Paul Schwabe Among renewable resources, one of the most valuable attributes of geothermal electricity is the baseload characteristic of the energy resource. That is, geothermal electricity generators are able to deliver a stable level of power production over time. Yet for better or worse, this baseload characteristicalong with other notable factors such as size constraints and varying market segmentsreveals that interconnecting a geothermal plant to a transmission or distribution system poses unique challenges compared to other renewable energy technologies . A recent report by NREL, "Geothermal Power and Interconnection: The Economics of Getting to the Market," delves...
Geothermal Companies Receive Cost Sharing Grants from DOE
Tom Konrad CFA My entire portfolio of Geothermal companies received DOE cost-sharing grants Friday. Here's a quick run-down: Nevada Geothermal (NGLPF.PK, NGP.V) received $1.7M for its Crump Geyser project, and $1.6M for its Black Warrior project. NGP also celebrated completion of its Blue Mountain Faulkner 1 plant the same day. US Geothermal (HTM) received $3.77M for it San Emidio project. Sierra Geothermal (SRAGF.PK, SRA.V) received $10M for exploration at its Alum and Silver Peak projects. Ormat (ORA) received two grants, and is likely to benefit from other grants since geothermal exploration companies such as US Geothermal contract with...
Clean Energy Stocks Shopping List: Landfill Gas and Geothermal
Stocks seem expensive now, but that may not last. Here are two Landfill Gas stocks and three Geothermal stocks I'm hoping to buy if the market falters. Tom Konrad, Ph.D., CFA This article continues my Clean Energy Stocks Shopping List series. So far I've brought you: Five clean transport stocks, I looked at why it makes sense to wait for better prices, Five Energy Efficiency stocks (always my favorite sector), and Five Electric Transmission Stocks. This article takes a look at two of the most economical clean electricity generation technologies, landfill gas and geothermal. Kilowatts from...
Geothermal Heat Pumps: The Next Generation
Tom Konrad CFA The most efficient way to heat and cool a building just got more efficient. Geothermal heat pump diagram via Bigstock Climatemaster, a division of LSB Industries (NYSE:LXU), recently announced that their new Trilogy 40 geothermal heat pump (GHP) had been certified by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) to exceed 40 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) under ground loop conditions. EER is the ratio of effective cooling (heat removed) to the energy used, at maximal load, and is the standard...
US Geothermal: Can A Reverse Split Heat Up This Stock?
by Debra Fiakas CFA
US Geothermal (HTM: NYSE) has been on our radar for some time. Despite considerable accomplishment in terms of building electricity output from a portfolio of geothermal power installations, investors seem reluctant to embrace the company and its stock. Earlier this week, US Geothermal management issued its usual quarterly update on its development work, this time detailing progress in expanding capacity and improving well performance on three of its geothermal installations. Altogether an incremental 90 megawatts are under development, which would triple the current power generation capacity of 45 megawatts. The company press release was met by...
Ormat Technologies (ORA): The 500-Pound Gorilla of Geothermal Power
Tom Konrad, CFA Ormat is the 500-pound gorilla of the geothermal power industry. Should you buy the stock? I've owned Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA) stock off and on since I first began to invest seriously in clean energy companies. At one of the first renewable energy conferences I attended five years ago as part of my quest to understand the renewable energy investing landscape, I encountered a representative of the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). Here's how I recall our conversation: Me: "What are a few of the leading geothermal power companies?" GEA Rep: "Ormat." Me: "Are they...
Oil Money Needed for Geothermal Projects
By Dana Blankenhorn Despite America's leadership in geothermal the industry remains in the “and” category. As in, “solar, wind, tidal, biofuels AND geothermal.” It's an afterthought. (Picture from Evergreen State University.) Why are geothermal companies having to organize politically to gain crumbs from the capital table? The answer is pretty obvious, but no one seems willing to state it plainly. The oil industry is holding back. A recent Time Magazine article on renewables and oil investment makes it pretty plain. Total's bought into solar, Shell and BP into biofuels. Chile's state oil-and-gas company sold-out its geothermal interests...
Geothermal Tie-up
Ormat Technologies (ORA: NYSE) is buying U.S. Geothermal (HTM: NYSE) for $5.45 per share in cash. The offer represents a 29% premium to the HTM closing price the day prior to the announcement. The shares had been in a steady decline over the past several months, hitting a 52-week low of $3.11 earlier in January 2018. So while the offer price pales in comparison to the U.S. Geothermal’s all-time high stock price of $28.68 way back in October 2007, shareholders may be feeling a warm breeze coming off Ormat’s cash.
Should Ormat shareholders be as thrilled as the company ponies up $110 million...
Ten Alternative Energy Speculations for 2008: Geothermal, Wind and Wave, and Thin Film Hype
This article is a continuation of my Ten Alternative Energy Speculations for 2008, with picks #8, 9, and10 published last Thursday. If you haven't already, please read the introduction to that article before buying any of the stock picks that follow. These companies are likely to be highly volatile, and large positions are not appropriate for many investors. My least risky picks are part of that same article linked to above; the moderately risky picks are here. This article contains the most speculative three picks. #3 Nevada Geothermal Power (OTCBB:NGLPF or Toronto:NGP.V) US$1.29 or CAD$1.26 Geothermal first started catching...
Geothermal Power: Business in a Tough Neighborhood
Geothermal power producers use Earth’s internal heat to power electrical generators. It is the quintessential renewable energy source. Most geothermal plants are located adjacent to underground pockets of super hot water. Developers look for locations where these thermal reservoirs are near the earth’s surface, providing availability of the super hot water at a reasonable cost. Unfortunately, those locations are often in tough neighborhoods.
Ring of Fire
The overwhelming majority (85%) of current geothermal power installations in the world are located along the Ring of Fire that circumvents the Pacific Ocean. More a horseshoe than a circle, the Ring of Fire is a geographic anomaly that is...
Western GeoPower Project Moves Ahead
Western GeoPower Corp (WGPWF) has received approval to start drilling on their new Geothermal energy operation facility at South Meager in Canada. This new facility could amount to over 100 MW capacity. GeoPower expects to have the South Meager plant ready for commercial generation by mid-2007.
