The U.S. Department of Energy said last week it's studying the first commercial use in the United States of a technology called Enhanced Geothermal System. The test is under way at a geothermal plant operated by Ormat Technologies in Churchill County.
The project, which involves $1.6 million in federal funding and two decades of research at five national laboratories, enhances the permeability of underground rocks and allows the plant to extract more heat from the rocks.
If the technology works, researchers say it could increase production of the Ormat Desert Peak 2 Geothermal Plant to 50 megawatts. The plant currently produces 11 megawatts.
Geothermal facilities in Europe, Australia and Japan already use a similar process to increase production.
