An energy company based in Utah has discovered the first commercially viable “blind geothermal” system in the U.S. in decades. The recent surprise finding in the Nevada desert could provide enough energy to power a small city or data centers in the future.
Geothermal energy is typically found near geysers or volcanoes. But neither of those natural phenomena exist in the southwest’s desert. A “blind” site is when a new, previously unknown source is located. That’s why Salt Lake City-based company Zanskar is calling its 100-megawatt find “The Big Blind.”
Aubry DeReuil, Zanskar’s Director of Exploration said this geothermal discovery is considered a “base-load” source of energy because it’s always on and available. Ultimately, it could make a significant difference for consumers.
“If we can get geothermal energy to make up a significant portion of the western U.S. power supply, then yes, I see this impacting customers by providing that baseload source of energy,” said DeReuil.
Currently, less than 1% of energy produced in the United States comes from geothermal energy. While it’s not a new energy source, the Big Blind has revealed a method of tapping deep into the earth to find geothermal energy. And finding it in a location that was not previously associated with this energy, like southeastern Nevada, is what makes this discovery so significant.
Zanskar said in a news release that it discovered the new find at roughly 2,700 feet in depth and that it has “permeable reservoirs” at approximately 250 degrees Fahrenheit – those features exceed minimum thresholds for utility-scale geothermal power.
The company said its discovery will “enable large energy consumers, governments and utilities to scale and drop clean, geothermal energy.”
“Geothermal energy–we can find it using predictable methods, it can be profitable and it can be massively scalable if we put the energy into exploring and developing it,” said deReuil.
“In a geothermal system, the heat is inherent to the system. The heat is already there–just need to pull it to the surface. And then you put it back into the system. So this is a “closed loop” system,” DeReuil explained. “So there’s very little waste and the heat is naturally occurring.”
DeReuil believes there is a place for different forms of energy to work together.
“I think all of these energy systems are needed to meet the growing needs of the western U.S.,” she said.
Zanskar has another site in Nevada, and one in New Mexico. Its New Mexico site, dubbed the “Lightning Dock”, is already generating utility-scale energy.
The company is also exploring areas in Arizona, Utah and Idaho.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
