Geothermal power plants use heat from the Earth to generate electricity. Conventional geothermal has been around for about 120 years and produces about one-tenth of the carbon dioxide emissions that a gas power plant produces. Geothermal plants can operate around the clock and this resource will last for billions of years. However, until recently, geothermal energy development has been limited to locations where very hot rock and water are relatively near the Earth’s surface.
California is home to the largest geothermal energy field in the world, The Geysers, straddling Sonoma and Lake Counties in the Mayacamas Mountains. But recent technology advances are making it likely that, within a few years, generating geothermal power will be possible just about anywhere.
Pilot projects using these new advances in geothermal have already begun. For example, the Community Choice Agency Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) is piloting several next-generation geothermal technologies, collectively known as “NextGen” or Advanced Geothermal Energy Systems (AGES). Many of the skills required for AGES — such as drilling, pipefitting, and electrical work — are the same skills that oil and gas workers are trained in. Advanced geothermal may present new career opportunities for former oil and gas workers in a just transition away from fossil fuels.
As AGES projects are developed, policymakers must engage local communities in decision-making and ensure that they benefit from these projects.
Join us to hear from policy leaders, industry experts, and labor union representatives about the many challenges and opportunities with the emergence of Advanced Geothermal Energy Systems.
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