Geothermal Systems in Nevada
Nevada has a rich endowment of geothermal resources, and currently is the second largest producer of geothermal power in the United States behind California. The Nevada Legislature recently passed a renewable portfolio standard that stipulates that 15% of electric power in Nevada must come from renewable sources by 2013. In 2003, approximately 8% of the power delivered in northern Nevada by Sierra Pacific power is geothermal. There has been rapid population growth in Nevada and an increasing interest in geothermal development due to recent events that include the power shortages in California in the summer of 2001 and the September 11 attacks on the United States. The increased use of geothermal resources could decrease reliance on nonrenewable, more polluting energy sources at a time when areas of the Western United States are struggling with possible energy shortages, elevated prices, and delivery problems. Development of geothermal resources also allows for more distributed, smaller power plants that help insure our energy security.
Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy
The Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy ( http://www.unr.edu/geothermal/), headquartered in the Mackay School of Mines at the University of Nevada, Reno, has launched a comprehensive program to locate and map the vast geothermal resources in Nevada. The Center was initiated in 2001 with the assistance of Senator Reid, and has received funding through a U.S. Department of Energy grant in the amounts of $936,000 in 2002 and $963,364 in 2003. In addition to conducting applied research designed to explore for and assess geothermal systems in the Great Basin, the Center is also producing a Web-based, stakeholder geothermal information system for Nevada geothermal data ( http://www.unr.edu/geothermal/evaluatingresources/index.html).