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September 28, 2005
Beatty is 'ideal' for green energy projectOFFICIALS DISCUSS POTENTIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM
By RICHARD STEPHENS
Mary Jane Hale, senior engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory was particularly enthusiastic about solar energy prospects in the Beatty area. Resource maps developed by the Laboratory identify the "hard rock" area extending from roughly Mercury north to Beatty as having some of the highest potential in the world for solar energy development. These maps take into account not only the amount of sun an area gets, but also such factors as the slope of the terrain. "I can't stress highly enough how premium this solar resource is," said Hale. "Other than Beatty and the other sites in the Mojave, you'd have to go to Africa." This, along with the infrastructure left behind by the Barrick Bullfrog Mine operation - including a high-capacity electrical transmission line - makes Beatty an attractive prospect for solar energy development. There is likely plenty of potential in the area for wind-generated electricity, too. Gary Seifert, program manager at the Idaho National Laboratory, said the combination of hot desert and nearby mountain is a natural wind generator. In order to identify and quantify that potential, however, local government would have to perform data gathering, which would include putting up anemometer towers in likely locations, since wind potential would have to be measured at the height at which turbines would be located. Seifert also said that placement of wind turbines would require working with "powerful neighbors," including the National Park Service and the Department of Defense, since Beatty is adjacent to a national park and is surrounded by air space used for military training missions. Seifert also spoke of the possibility of using the mine site as the location of a "pump storage facility," either in conjunction with a renewable energy generation facility or as a separate operation. A pump storage facility enables power generators to store some of the energy they produce in low-demand periods for use when demand is high. This is done by using excess power to pump water into an elevated reservoir and then using downhill flow to generate hydroelectric power when demand is high. Seifert said that renewable energy projects are a good answer to the question, "What can I make here and sell there and bring the money back home?" Solar energy and other sources of renewable, or "green" energy are enjoying a resurgence in interest for several reasons. Although electricity from any renewable source is still more expensive electricity generated by burning fossil fuels, especially coal, rising oil and natural gas prices are narrowing the gap. Demand for renewable energy is also being created by new laws requiring that a percentage of power be derived from "green" sources. Currently Nevada is required to produce 5 percent of its energy from such sources, and that percentage will increase in coming years. Speakers said that California, in particular, is "hungry" for green electricity. Power developed from any project in Beatty would likely not be purchased by Valley Electric, but would be sold elsewhere. Terry Stagg, Valley Electric's power resource manager, did say, however, that the co-op has the capacity to "wheel" the power to market. Stagg said the company would be comfortable with handling 65 megawatts from a Bullfrog project. "We're not going to do anything that will cost you, the members, money," said Stagg. "Hopefully, acting as good neighbors, we'd create something that would offset energy costs in the future." Laura Padilla described a renewable energy facility that is being developed at the Ponderosa Dairy in Amargosa Valley by Bio Energy Systems, Inc. The projected two-megawatt plant will use methane gas produced from processed animal waste to generate electricity. Amargosa Valley residents will especially appreciate the fact that the project will do away with the wastewater lagoons and the incumbent odor and insect problems. The most likely project to be developed in the Beatty area is a solar trough plant similar to those in operation at Cramer Junction near Barstow, Calif. The six plants located there produce enough electricity to power nearly 400,000 homes and, due to ongoing upgrades in technology, are operating at 20 percent higher efficiency than when they were built close to 20 years ago. As the name implies, solar troughs use arrays of long, trough-shaped mirrors. The mirror troughs are aligned north-south and pivot to track the sun from east to west during the day. These mirrors focus heat from the sun on a tube containing oil that is then passed through a heat exchanger to generate electricity, using steam. A 70-megawatt solar trough plant is currently under construction in Eldorado Valley near Searchlight. If a 50-65 megawatt plant were constructed at Beatty, it would occupy between 250 and 325 acres of land, based on an estimate of five acres per megawatt. As far as jobs go, Hales provided estimates for a 100-megawatt plant showing approximately 2,000 direct and indirect jobs during a one- to two-year construction phase and 45 jobs for long-term operation and maintenance. Amargosa Economic Development Chairwoman Jan Cameron, who was present in what was characterized as a disappointingly small audience, urged "a cooperative effort to develop shared resources." Dr. James Marble, director of the Nye County Natural Resources Office, received accolades from county economic development officials for getting the Bullfrog Mine site included in the federal government's Brownfields project. Marble overheard officials at a workshop lamenting that they did not have a Western hardrock mine site among their five initial pilot projects. He told them he had such a site, and they subsequently added it as a sixth project. The Brownfields program provides support and expertise from a wide range of government agencies including the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, ARC, Housing and Urban Development, ACE, the Energy Department and others with the mission of working with "mine-scarred lands" to reduce health risks, and to assist local governments in finding ways to use the properties to promote economic development and expand the tax base. The county is in the process of gathering information on the question of renewable energy development in the area, and a feasibility study is due out soon. One source close to the issue said that the county wants to "have all its ducks in a row" and to be sure that they have community support before approaching potential developers. |
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