Application: Geothermal Heat Recovery
Net Power Output: 60 kWe
Hot Water Inlet Temperature: 110ºC
Hot Water Flow Rate: 12 l/s
In April 2016, ElectraTherm successfully commissioned an ORC geothermal heat recovery system comprised of a single Power+ Generator 4400 in Beppu, Japan on local community district heating system. Residents use the geothermal energy to provide heating for nearby homes, to heat water, and even for cooking. Now with the addition of an ORC system, the residents will also benefit from the production of clean energy.
The geothermal heat recovery system runs off low temperature geothermal steam from a small district heating system. As the Power+ Generator produces power, it also provides cooling with zero environmental impact or imposition on the primary function as a community resource. The power generated is sold to the local utility at an attractive feed-in-tariff rate for renewables.
ElectraTherm utilizes Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and proprietary technologies to generate up to 125 kWe of electricity from low temperature water ranging from 70-150°C. At this site, the geothermal steam provides varying flows at approximately 110°C with a flow rate of 12 l/s. Unlike other renewable sources, geothermal heat is baseload, providing a continuous hot water flow with power generation capabilities 24/7. Hot geothermal water is the fuel used to create a high pressure vapor that expands through ElectraTherm’s patented twin screw power block, spinning an electric generator to produce clean electricity while simultaneously cooling the water up to 20°C.
“The US Department of Energy sponsored a program in 2012-2013 for ElectraTherm to develop a ‘micro-geothermal’ power plant that could tolerate remote, unmanned operation and also be able to handle the challenges presented by varying geothermal resources. This is the first commercial site in Japan to showcase that investment.”
– John Fox, ElectraTherm CEO
Read about our more recent installation in Japan from Think Geoenergy Magazine here.