Yes, my CCA buys renewable power from the Geysers facility 40 miles north of me. That facility has been around for over 50 years, which is why it was not mentioned in the above article.
Are you thinking of that failed Ivanhoe thermal facility near Primm that went bankrupt? A facility near me at the Geysers has been running for over 50 years. I do know it has had some maintenance issues. I also don't know the difference between primary and intermediate? In the case of the Geysers the heat comes out of the ground. In the case of Ivanhoe they created heat with mirrors and used molten sulfur as the intermediary transfer mechanism.
Years ago I took a tour of the Southern California Edison Big Creek hydro project. That is when I realized there were hot water guys and cold water guys and they did not usually leave their silos. I think the Ivanhoe failure was due to the myopic thinking of the hot water guys who advocated for that as a renewable energy project. The irony is that just beyond the Ivanhoe facility is a privately funded solar farm that just keeps putting out low cost energy as you mentioned.
pv-magazine-usa.com
Likely feeds off research on mining brines from desalination plants.U.S. geothermal lithium offers significant potential
U.S. scientists have assessed the viability and potential supply chain impact of extracting lithium from geothermal brines, and they have reported promising results.
The researchers have discovered that extracting lithium from geothermal brines is economically viable. With projections of 23 million to 43 million electric vehicles on the street by 2030, lithium extraction from geothermal could generate up to $258 million to $311 million. They found that this type of lithium extraction might also offset geothermal capital costs, making electrical generation from geothermal more cost competitive.
