The Geysers
Location: Mayacamas Mountains, San Francisco, California, USA
Type: Geothermal
Status: Operational
Year of establishment: 1921
Installed Capacity: 1517 MWe
Project Description
The Geysers, comprising 45 square miles along the Sonoma and Lake County border, is the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world. Calpine, the largest geothermal power producer in the U.S., owns and operates 22 power plants.
Purpose/Application
The Geysers has a net generating capacity of about 1517 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 725,000 homes, or a city the size of San Francisco.
Unique Aspect
The Geysers steam field has been recharged by injection of treated sewage effluent. The effluent is piped from its source at the Lake County Sanitation waste water treatment plants and added to the Geysers steam field via geothermal injection. Injecting treated water into the Geysers field increases the amount of power that can be generated.
Leave a comment