Hawaii Business magazine

[tada]

Yet another geothermal article, interview with CEO of KTA and informative investment from China info-

http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/

[james weatherford]

Interesting article.
Thanks.

All the right things being talked about: community, ancillary uses, respect for the aina...



James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[mdd7000]

Yes, very interesting.

PGV already pays some rather hefty royalty payments, plus has to pay taxes on the profits, plus take the risk, which is substantial, and some fringe people want them to also provide them with an ownership or equity portion of the company and a share of the profits?
Would these same people/groups be willing to pony up if there are losses? Of course not.

[Dave Smith]

The article's failure to mention the major blowout in the early 1990s presents a rather skewed view of opposition to the plant. That episode helped teach PGV that standard geothermal practices wouldn't work with the particularly corrosive resource here in Hawaii and that community safety was not something to trifle with.

[mdd7000]

Here is the link that goes straight to the article:

[url][/url]http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/November-2010/Geothermal-039s-Second-Chance/

[Obie]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dave Smith

The article's failure to mention the major blowout in the early 1990s presents a rather skewed view of opposition to the plant. That episode helped teach PGV that standard geothermal practices wouldn't work with the particularly corrosive resource here in Hawaii and that community safety was not something to trifle with.

---

Wow I remember that !! Most of the first responders died and even today, that area where the plant is located is a vast wasteland !!!

Oh wait!!

There was no destruction or deaths.

We could have the cheapest power in the Hawaiian Islands !!
Why wouldn't we want that ??

Have you driven past a wind farm or large PV farm that didn't look like an eyesore ??

When I drive past PGV I see nothing but a large derrick.They could stick artificial palm fronds on it and I would be good.

[mdd7000]

The OLD style geothermal plants simply vented the leftover steam and gasses into the open air. The new style plants are closed systems that even inject the leftover steam and gasses back into the ground, near where they came from. There are no noxious gasses that are spewed out, unless they have a leak and they can shut down almost immediately. They have multiple air monitoring systems. They are doing it right.

[Greg]

I appreciate Obie's making light of the blowout, but I was a witness from five miles away. It sounded like a 747 taking off except that it lasted 48 hours or so non stop. This is from five miles away! I can only speculate the comfort that close neighbors felt at the lack of physical damage.

I'm not against Geothermal power, but who can deny the folly of putting the plant a couple hundred yards upwind of a subdivision. Another potential problem are the numerous "capped" wells on site. The method used is to pour concrete into the steel sleeve to plug the well. This works fine until the corrosive material eats away the sleeve. But hey, you can't see toxic gas so no problem, right?

As far as geothermal giving us cheap power; It hasn't worked really well so far.

[mdd7000]

Not to make light of Greg's post, but what about the folly of building houses along the rift zone or Kalapana for that matter?

[james weatherford]

This is what I have never heard the proponents of geothermal explain with any convincing information:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Greg

As far as geothermal giving us cheap power; It hasn't worked really well so far.

---

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park