Nevada Geothermal Utility Company: Nevada's Largest Privately Owned Geothermal Space Heating District

摘要

Since the early 1980's Nevada Geothermal Utility Company has provided space heating and domestic hot water to homes in a southwest Reno neighborhood. The system not only heats 110 homes, but also provides heat for domestic hot water, heat for 21 swimming pools, seven hot tub spas, and one driveway de-icing. Four wells have been drilled for production and injection of geothermal fluids. Two wells, WE-1 and WE-2 are the geothermal supply wells. Well WE-3 serves as the primary injection well. Geothermal fluid at a temperature near 200 deg F (190-205 deg F) is pumped from production well WE-2. The 40 HP turbine pump supplies the pressure to force the geothermal fluid through the flat-plate heat exchangers and down the injection well. Customers currently pay 75percent of the price of natural gas for space and hot water heating. A comparison of homes heated with natural gas and homes heated with geothermal energy show a savings between 17 and 22 percent for homes heated with geothermal energy.