Ormat, a global leader in the renewable energy sector, is continuing to grow its energy storage business. With an unwavering focus on innovation and a commitment to sustainability, Ormat Energy Storage is focused on helping to reshape the landscape of clean energy storage and utilization.

A key factor that sets Ormat Energy Storage apart is its impressive and rapidly expanding portfolio of projects. Over the past six months, the company has achieved an impressive growth rate, adding five new projects to its operating portfolio. These projects have expanded the Ormat Energy Storage portfolio from 88 MW/196 MWh at the end of 2022 to 170 MW/298 MWh today. Such progress highlights Ormat's remarkable ability to bring projects online.

At the heart of Ormat Energy Storage, lies with state-of-the-art infrastructure. Ormat Energy Storage solutions are built using advanced lithium-ion-based battery technology, carefully selected for its safety, reliability, and efficiency. The company's in-house design team ensures that each project is tailored to meet specific market needs while maximizing the potential for renewable energy integration and grid stability.

Looking ahead, Ormat remains optimistic about its growth prospects and aims to further augment its portfolio in the coming years. Currently, the company has six projects under construction, boasting a combined capacity of 275 MW/740 MWh, with plans to achieve between 600MW/1470MWh and 670MW/1700MWh total operating protfolio by the end of 2025. Ormat’s development pipeline contains approximately 3.3GW/11.5GWh with 34 named prospects.

Traditionally, Ormat Energy Storage’s focus has centered on the East Coast, with flagship projects such as Alpha (Stryker, 20 MW/20 MWh) and Plumsted (20 MW/20 MWh), which are located in northern New Jersey, and provide ancillary services to PJM. The company is now expanding its presence on the West Coast. Ormat has been actively working on constructing larger energy storage projects in the CAISO market in California. Notably, two such projects with a combined capacity of 115MW/460 MWh, are presently under construction in southern California. Additionally, Ormat has plans to expand its footprint in the ERCOT market in Texas, where it currently operates two projects with a combined capacity of 33 MW/33 MWh, and has another two projects under construction with a combined capacity of 120MW/240MWh.

As the world moves toward a more sustainable energy future, Ormat Energy Storage remains at the forefront of innovation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in clean energy storage development. The company's dedication to research and development, coupled with its unwavering commitment to sustainability, positions it as a trailblazer in the energy storage domain.

Ormat Energy Storage's impressive growth, operational expertise, unwavering focus on safety and reliability, and strategic expansion into key markets make it a nascent industry leader and a driving force in the global transition to clean, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions. With its visionary approach, technical expertise, and dedication to creating a brighter future, Ormat Energy Storage continues to inspire and pave the way for a cleaner and greener tomorrow.

Upton, TX, 23 MW / 23 MWh

Howell, NJ, 7 MW / 7 MWh

Bowling Green, OH, 12 MW / 12MWh

Ormat Technologies proudly announces the successful completion of its newest power plant in North Valley, Nevada. Bringing this groundbreaking project online required innovation and collaboration and culminated in a remarkable achievement for the renewable energy industry.

Generating clean electricity and tying it into the grid required construction of not only a state-of-the-art 25MW power plant but a 58-mile transmission line. In doing this, Ormat overcame numerous challenges that showcase its unwavering commitment to delivering new carbon-emission free energy.

Development required meticulous planning and coordination, as well as navigating various environmental considerations and regulatory requirements. Despite these challenges, Ormat leveraged its extensive technical, regulatory, and logistical expertise to successfully complete a project that will power 22,000 homes and reduce 3.5 million tons of atmospheric CO₂.

Ormat’s binary technology is at the forefront of the renewable energy industry, but the company also values integrity and continually demonstrates its deep commitment to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. At North Valley, Ormat worked closely with local communities, emphasizing open communication and responsible stewardship. Ormat implemented robust measures to minimize impact on the surrounding ecosystem, including the use of advanced materials to reduce noise, dust, and other potential disturbances.

Completion of the North Valley Power Plant not only strengthens Ormat’s position as a leader in geothermal energy, but it significantly contributes to a broader global goal of combating climate change. By harnessing Earth's natural heat, Ormat ensures clean power for generations to come. This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of Ormat employees and the support of many partners and stakeholders. Celebrating this milestone reinforces Ormat’s steadfast commitment to worldwide geothermal power expansion.

By Adi Voldman, Head of Waste Heat Recovery activity

Ormat Technologies is a leading global provider of renewable energy solutions, specializing in the development, manufacture, and deployment of geothermal power plants and recovered energy generation (REG) systems. One of Ormat's most innovative and successful technologies is our REG systems, which have revolutionized the way industrial facilities reduce their carbon footprint.

At its core, Ormat's REG technology captures waste heat from industrial processes and converts it into clean, renewable electricity. This technology is a game-changer for industries that produce large amounts of waste heat, such as cement, steel, chemical plants and any facility that generate heat such as gas compressor stations. In the past, this waste heat was simply released into the atmosphere, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and wasting valuable energy. With Ormat's REG systems, however, this waste heat is harnessed and used to generate electricity, thereby reducing emissions, significantly improve overall energy efficiency, lead to substantial cost savings and providing a reliable source of power.

Ormat's REG system captures waste heat to heat the Organic working fluid (directly, or through intermediate heat media). The heated working fluid vaporizes and expands in a turbine, which is connected to a generator that produces electricity. The working fluid is then cooled and recycled back into the system, where it can be used again to generate more electricity.

Ormat's REG systems are highly customizable, with solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of each customer and are designed to generate electricity from a wide range of waste heat sources and operating conditions. The systems are also designed to be highly efficient, with low maintenance requirements and long operating lives.

In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, Ormat's REG systems also offer important reliability benefits. By generating electricity on-site, industrial facilities can reduce reliance on the grid and ensure a stable source of power even in the event of power outages or other disruptions.

Overall, Ormat's REG technology is an important part of our commitment to providing sustainable, reliable, and innovative energy solutions. As more and more industries look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their energy efficiency, Ormat's REG systems are poised to play an increasingly important role in the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

ORMAT REG TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS

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Following the commercial transfer of the 4.2MW Yilan Qingshui Geothermal Power Plant in 2021, Taiwan will have more geothermal energy. Jieyuan Energy Development, Fengyu Green Energy and ORMAT signed a three-party cooperation agreement on the 23rd, and will jointly develop geothermal power plants with an installation capacity of more than 20MW in New Taipei and Yilan.

The 4.2MW Yilan Qingshui Geothermal Power Plant jointly developed by Jieyuan Energy Development and Taiwan Steam Electric has obtained the first domestic geothermal power plant electricity license in 30 years on November 23, 2021, and can supply 10,000 small households in Taiwan every day Use, and not affected by the weather.

Lin Songlie, chairman of Jieyuan, said

"green power is very important to Taiwan's future, and it is also responsible for the construction of green power infrastructure. This is also a movement for all people that should support it together. There is no shortage of failure cases in Taiwan's geothermal heat. We know that only by continuing to promote the conversion of commercial geothermal power plants one by one, can we lead the industry and the government to provide a sufficiently stable green power foundation."

In the future, Fengyu Green Energy will conduct drilling and power plant construction, ORMAT will provide generator sets and technology, and then JY Energy will develop and manage power plants. Jieyuan Energy Development is expected to complete a 4-5MW geothermal power plant by the end of 2023 and 2024, and an 8-10MW geothermal power plant by the end of 2025. The total installed capacity of the geothermal power plant built by Jieyuan Energy will exceed 20MW by the end of 2025.

At present, Jieyuan Energy Development is actively expanding the geothermal power generation demonstration area in Liouziping, New Taipei City. It is expected to be completed in 2025, and the device capacity can reach more than 4MW.

The 44th New Zealand Geothermal workshop in Auckland was important and we were proud to sponsor and participate in the event.

Ormat had a team of 6 at the event and presented a keynote presentation at the conference, by Robin Zuza about our growth story.

Simon Webbison, Ormat VP of exploration and resource, summarized his experiance from the event:

"It's pleasing to see the New Zealand electricity market growing again. After the GFC we saw electricity demand stop growing, but now it's picking up again and all the companies are focusing again on growth.

Having a carbon price, which is now $88 NZD (quoted at the conference) is resulting in companies focusing in on how they can reinject their gases. We're seeing the value of binary plants for this, as evidenced by the gas reinjection trials at Ngatamariki and Te Huka that were shared. At Ormat we're lucky that many of our developments are able to use our Ormat Production Pumps, so all the gas is kept in the fluid and so these plants are zero emissions already."

 

 It was great meeting all of our dear customers and partners, at the event. You could feel a scent of mutual mission in the air.

We are excited to say that we signed a new contract with Contact Energy Ltd. for the Tehuka 3 geothermal power plant in New Zealand

This contract marks the third time Ormat has signed with Contact Energy. Tehuka 3 will be Ormat’s 16th geothermal power plant built in New Zealand and will produce 59 MW of renewable energy.

It will be the largest single geothermal binary unit operational plant worldwide!

Ormat has reached an agreement with Contact Energy to supply its air-cooled Ormat Energy Converters for the Tehuka 3 geothermal project. This new power plant will be located near the existing Tehuka 1 & 2 plants and will utilize the Tauhara resource.

Congratulations to the Contact Energy and Ormat Technologies teams that worked days and nights to sign the contract.

Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, said, “The signing of these two contracts increases our product segment backlog, and provides a significant contribution to our expected product segment revenues and margins."

 

 

It was a busy week at the Geothermal Rising Conference (GRC) in Reno. Ormat was excited to be a Diamond Sponsor at this year’s GRC, the largest attendance since 2012. With Corporate Headquarters less than 3 miles away from the Peppermill Casino, Ormat had over 50 conference attendees across the 4-day conference.   

Throughout the conference, Ormat hosted 10 facility tours of our Steamboat Geothermal Power Plant Complex in South Reno, totaling over 70 people and 23 different companies.  This was a great opportunity to showcases the unique geology of the complex, as well as the binary system at our 2020 Steamboat Hills Plant.  

On Monday, August 29^th, Shimon Hatzir, led the Conference with Opening remarks at the Opening Plenary Session to kick off the 2022 GRC.

“This is the first GRC since 2019 that feels back to normal…. It is important that all of us involved in geothermal ensure that geothermal is seen to be a major part of the environmental solution.” – Shimon Hatzir

From there, Ormat’s booth remained busy with foot traffic while having three speakers throughout the conference: 

• Paul Thomsen- The Increasing Value of Geothermal in the Western US – Recent Trends during the Accelerating Energy Transformation and Stresses on Reliability
• Nadav Korn and Ben Cohen- Introducing Ormat’s Between-Bearings Turbine
• Simon Webbison- Ormat’s Global Growth Story

On Tuesday, Ormat hosted a User’s meeting at the Reno Corporate office with over 30 clients, prospects, Ormat and consultants.  

Lastly, on Wednesday (8/31) we held a Resource Event at the Renaissance Hotel with over 150 attendees.  Overall, we shared industry excitement and will continue to educate the public and scale to meet the grid’s future clean energy demands. Thanks for another successful conference! See you all next year in Reno!

The Geothermal Rising Conference (GRC) is the geothermal industry’s flagship annual conference, reflecting the global nature of the geothermal industry and Ormat will be there to meet you and updae you on our development and changes in the market.

Mr. Paul Thomsen, Ormat's VP of Business Development will lecture about THE INCREASING VALUE OF GEOTHERMAL IN THE WEST.

How geothermal now yields the highest economic value of any renewable resource in California and the surrounding region.

Since 2017, we have been evaluating the increasing economic value of geothermal energy to potential buyers in California and other Western states (Orenstein and Thomsen, 2017, Thomsen 2018a, Thomsen 2020). The updated geothermal value estimates in this paper are based on recent historical and forecasted wholesale energy, capacity, and renewable energy credit (REC) market prices, in addition to testing how geothermal costs affect selection in resource planning models. Current trends in wholesale prices for these products, reviewed in this paper, have confirmed that geothermal currently has a significantly higher economic value than a stand-alone solar PV plant in high solar regions such as California. While the value comparison between geothermal and renewable generation with energy storage (i.e., hybrids) is more complex, this paper and some of the prior ones also explore those relationships. As renewable penetration increases, planning models suggest that an incremental megawatt-hour (MWh) of geothermal displaces multiple MWh of solar and storage (Thomsen 2018b, 2021). This result shows the importance of combining wholesale market forecasts with planning analyses to fully understand geothermal's evolving value over the coming decades.

Read the full article

We are proud and excited to announce the commercial operation of our newest geothermal power plant – Casa Diablo 4 (CD4)!

We have worked in extreme conditions, through fire season, snow storms and Supply chain issues, and still were able to deliver a state-of-the-art geothermal power plant that produces 30 MW of clean, renewable electricity for 22,000 homes, offsetting 160,000 tons of CO2 emissions, Employing locally and generating local tax revenues.

CD4 is a state-of-the-art, air-cooled binary facility that provides stable and reliable renewable benefits twenty-four hours a day, with zero carbon emissions.  The Geothermal Facility Will Utilize Ormat’s Binary Technology to Further Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Decarbonize the California Power Grid. CD4 is the first geothermal power plant built within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority in the last 30 years and will be the first in Ormat’s portfolio to sell its output to Community Choice Aggregators. (Silicon Valley Clean Energy & Central Coast Community Energy).

Watch this AWSOME video of the construction of this unique, innovative project:

By Cecil Philip, Business Development Manager & Hannah Mason, Interconnection & Transmission Specialist

 

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh

Success Starts Here       

As Energy storage systems have recently come to the forefront of the renewable renaissance era, the trajectory and continuous expansion of energy storage interconnection queue positions has been exciting to watch on a monthly and annual basis. This rapid expansion is proof that developers and utilities have reached their goal of making energy storage a big player in the renewable energy industry. However, now that the goal has been achieved, we must shift our focus onto continuing to develop technologies, procurement strategies, policies, and methodologies to transition energy storage into a position of providing reliability and resilience to the electric grid.

Knowing these changes are critical, we must have the capacity to self-discipline, act dutifully, and strive for achievement. Our industry must continue with conscientiousness as we take the next steps towards progressive change, become more proactive in developing the future of energy policy and system growth, and put our mentalities through a vibe shift.

Shifting in Storage Strategy

Storage has proven to be a powerful player in the renewable energy sector, and as needs and demands continue to evolve, energy storage is starting to see a shift in duration. Although short duration storage has shown its strength in application, the industry must continue to look towards future needs. The focus is turning towards long duration storage projects that will have the ability to utilize energy storage's biggest advantage--moving electricity through time. This transition will serve to support multi-day storage, as it aims to reduce the strain on the grid and supplement energy when renewable generation is low.

Energy Storage demands also illuminate the need for new technologies and procurement strategies. Supply chain issues have become a limiting factor in the construction of new energy storage facilities, showing the need to become open minded to alternative chemistries and investing in domestic supply chains.

Proactive in Policy

Energy storage has seen an exponential progression in growth. A technology application that was in its infancy a few years ago has seen grid-scale installations quadruple in the first quarter of 2022 as compared with 2021. This trend is not slowing down.  As more battery storage is integrated into the grid, more dynamic policies and requirements are being developed to help make the renewable transition flow smoothly. Changes in policy will be crucial to reduce interconnection queue timelines and transmission line overbuilding. We need to study energy storage projects more realistically and utilize storage as an asset instead of creating a redundant transmission grid.

A DEEPER DIVE IN POLICY REFORM

FERC’s Proposed Interconnection Reform

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) has recently proposed a new rule signaling a much-needed reform of interconnection requirements. The proposal highlights four key areas of reform to address the rapidly changing resource mix and aims to allow clean energy projects to progress through the queue more quickly, providing a much sought-after clarity of the interconnection process.

Implement a first-ready, first-served cluster study process:

The first-ready, first-served cluster study process rule would provide increased efficiency and minimize delay times in the interconnection process by clustering interconnection studies. To mitigate risk within these studies, readiness milestones and financial commitments would be imposed onto the interconnecting customer.

Incorporate technological advancements into the interconnection process:

This proposal would allow for multiple co-located resources at single point of interconnection on a shared site to submit only one interconnection request. Incorporating this rule would efficiently remove barriers and provide a more standardized process for co-located resource configurations. Additionally, the rule proposal seeks to allow interconnecting customers to add a generating facility to an existing interconnection request without having to reapply into the study process and the option to require transmission providers to consider alternative transmission solutions if requested.

Reduce interconnection queue processing speed

FERC’s proposed rule to reduce interconnection queue processing speed would be able to address one of the largest hurdles for energy storage development and penetration. The proposal seeks to impose firm deadlines and associated penalties for delays where force majeure is not applicable. The notice of proposed rulemaking also seeks to standardize specified modeling and proforma affected system agreements along with simplifying the process of interconnection requests within mandated resource or same state-authorized solicitations.

Update modeling and performance requirements for system reliability:

Not all resources are created equal, especially non-synchronous renewable energy generation as they do not provide a rotational inertia compared to the more traditional synchronously connected generators. FERC addresses the situational awareness of the changing resource mix with a notice of proposed rulemaking to adjust certain modeling and performance metrics for non-synchronous generating facilities to allow for better alignment with the resource’s specific use case in supporting reliability.

Capacity Accreditation Market Reform

Effective Load Carrying Capacity “ELCC” - Capacity Accreditation

For years, capacity accreditation frameworks have been based on the historical performance of dispatchable resources; however, FERC has recently started to reevaluate market specific capacity accreditation rules. As more intermittent and distributed generation resources enter the grid, each market’s specific capacity accreditation rules will shape renewable development by having a direct influence on quantity procured, capacity payments, and market saturation. Inconsistencies between market design principles and policy objectives can undermine the importance of ensuring capacity market prices which guide investors’ long-term entry and exit decisions. The potential capacity accreditation market reform could cause a disruption across the energy industry as methods of calculation are fundamentally different.

PJM - Adjusted Class Average - Effective Load Carrying Capacity

PJM's analysis has indicated that the high deployment of intermittent renewables coming onto the grid will displace traditional unlimited resources and shift the summer risk to later in the day. To align and quantify the resource adequacy value of resources under a high deployment of renewables and storage, PJM re-filed their capacity accreditation proposal to include storage and other resources using the Adjusted Class Average ELCC methodology to determine a resource’s capacity accreditation. This approach calculates the reliability contribution of all ELCC Resources as a portfolio, then assigns intermittent resources an individual class rating that sets the amount of capacity a resource can provide and adds a calculated unit-specific performance adjustment. The total of each of the individual resource values equals the average capacity contribution of all ELCC resources.

NYISO - Marginal – Effective Load Carrying Capacity

NYISO has indicated that the Buyer Side Mitigation rules implemented in 2008 created a large barrier to renewable energy participation in New York’s clean energy transition. To further the State’s goals, NYISO proposed implementing a Marginal ELCC methodology which calculates capacity accreditations by location and resource class of intermittent resources, including storage, and combining it with factors that derate incremental units to define individual resources uncapped capacity quantities. The most significant concern with the Marginal ELCC approach is that it could undervalue intermittent resources by not capturing resource diversity.

MISO – Capacity Accreditation

MISO’s largest hurdle for renewable penetration within the region is the lack of market rules to accommodate the growing amount of renewable hybrid solutions in their interconnection queue; however, recently FERC approved MISO’s request to formally define hybrid resources in its tariff and establish a methodology to accredit the capacity value of hybrids. Unlike NYISO and PJM, MISO believes that ELCC methodologies could enable more nuanced capacity accreditation because they can capture interactions between hybrid components. To accomplish this, MISO has proposed two methodologies. The first proposes that capacity accreditation be based on the sum of the hybrid technologies through the established credit values of their component technologies up to their firm transmission service level. The second is based on the historical availability and performance of existing hybrid resources.

Success is Continuous

“Never confuse movement with action.” – Ernest Hemingway

The development and rapid growth of energy storage pipelines has helped progress us towards meeting the various clean energy goals set throughout the nation. However, the job doesn’t end here. We must now focus on shifting the vibe by proactively engaging and taking action to reform policies, develop new technologies, and create improved procurement strategies, setting the stage for a dynamic renewable renaissance. It is now time for energy storage to play a more critical role in the reliability and resilience of the grid.

Let’s charge the way.

References

FERC. (2022, June 16). FERC proposes interconnection reforms to address queue backlogs. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-proposes-interconnection-reforms-address-queue-backlogs

By Cecil Philip, Business Development Manager & Hannah Mason, Interconnection & Transmission Specialist

Success Happens In Time 

When it comes to the historical discovery of electricity, the general public’s narrative belief is that on a dark, stormy night, Benjamin Franklin was so dispirited from his boredom that he decided to fly a kite out his window to see if he could get a lightning bolt to strike it. Although this questioningly dangerous key and kite experiment might sound more like a drinking game of its time, it has been accredited as the discovery of electricity. To this day, this breakthrough has been reaffirmed by symbolizing electricity with a lightning bolt icon. Benjamin Franklin’s discovery can be seen as breakthrough fallacy, suggesting that we overestimate the memorable and monumental occasion towards creation of the electrical system. However, it was only one inflection point in the slow and arduous process that inspired change and transition to the production and use of electrical system’s reality of today. 

Change is gradual, measured in decades and not moments. Benjamin Franklin’s discovery inspired other monumental breakthroughs throughout history. Alessandro Volta soaked paper in salt water, placed zinc and copper on opposite sides of the paper, and observed the chemical reaction produce an electric current—the first battery! Michael Faraday discovered electro-magnetic induction by passing a magnet through a copper coil. Thomas Edison used an ordinary cotton thread that had been soaked in carbon in hopes of creating a slow burning filament and discovered incandescence. Nikola Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field and created the alternating current electrical system. There is not one singular breakthrough that finalized the use of electricity.  Instead, it was a steady line of innovation, each building on the last. The electrical system that we know today has seen constant development, some obvious and consciously impactful, others subtle and unnoticeable. Many years after the discovery of electricity and the creation of the first battery, the demands of the electric grid are changing more than ever. This era will be remembered as the renewable energy breakthrough, as solar, storage, wind, geothermal, hydro, and other renewable resources revolutionize the dynamic of the electric grid.  

Storage Hits Its Trend

In recent years, the push for renewable energy has been strong, and the momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With legislative pushes and increasing grid demands, developers have been working diligently to expand the renewable energy sector. To account for the changing constraints of the electric grid, influenced by solar energy production and peak demand times, energy storage has stepped up to the plate.

Energy storage is a relatively new player in the energy sector, but the utility scale storage capacity is rapidly increasing. Starting with just 0.2 Gigawatts in 2015, storage capacity reached 17 Gigawatts in 2020, and is projected to hit 565 Gigawatts globally by 2030. 

 Figure 1: Global Energy Storage Capacity [1]

This aggressive trend has led to both competition and opportunity for developers and utilities. Utilities are moving to maximize efficiency in the electrical system and continue to mitigate risk and allow for long-term success with competitive RFP’s, policy changes, increased incentives, and updated storage goals.

The high demand for energy storage has caused project development to become very competitive. This has created a perception that every opportunity must be pursued and exploited to its full potential. However, such fast-paced development leaves room for error, exposing energy storage project development volatility through inundated processes and oversaturated interconnection queues. Despite the hurdles, good competition is not only essential to energy storage penetration, but it also promotes the evolution of the electric grid.   

Supply Has Instigated Tension 

Meeting aggressive energy storage goals presents challenges that must be overcome. Supply chain disruptions are affecting nearly every industry, but the rapid projection of growth in the energy storage sector presents additional concerns. Costs of battery and utility equipment manufacturing have been steadily increasing. We must work to overcome supply concerns by continually evaluating innovative technologies for renewable energy and energy storage solutions.  

Science Helps Innovate Technology 

Innovative technologies are a critical factor in the evolution towards next generation energy storage. Operational requirements are continuously changing and are often defined differently throughout various energy markets. Through scientific research and testing, technology suppliers have increased the optionality of energy storage system components to allow for a more robust inventory to meet the specified parameters of multiple energy markets, including heightened safety, increased capacity, longer duration, higher efficiency, and decreased degradation. 

Storage Harmonization Intrinsically Tuned 

Energy will continue to be an ever-changing constant as we progress towards a more sustainable future. It’s time to get our S-words together as we create the next monumental breakthrough in the electricity narrative with renewable energy storage Charging the way.

[1] https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-storage

 We were thrilled to partner with Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Central Coast Community Energy, Southern California Public Power Authority, and the City of Colton on the Casa Diablo IV facility in Mammoth, CA.

This 30 MW facility is set to come online this summer, and represents a $13M investment in the Mammoth community. We’re proud of the jobs this project has created and the positive impact the facility will have on California’s decarbonization goals.

Take a look at our Casa Diablo IV project - the first geothermal project to be built in the state of California in 30 years!!!
The project is set to come online this summer and provide 30 MW of firm, zero-emission power to customers in the region. Check out this short video about the environmental and economic benefits the project will provide to the surrounding communities.

 On 21 to 24 March, 2 Ormat customers from Turkey visited OrPower4, Ormat power plant in Hell’s Gate, Kenya.

The customers, Sanko Enerji and Soyak Energy, have each 3 power plant which was designed manufactured and using ORC made by Ormat. For both, first unit started operation during 2018 and to date they operate 3 units at about same capacity of over 25MW ea.

Our Turkish customers approached us with many questions and requests to support on issues related to operation and maintenance practice and procedures. Thus, we have suggested to arrange a seminar on these issues with Ormat experienced O&M team in one of our power plants.

OrPower4, produces 150MW with 5 different stages of the project and configurations agreed to host the group.

The group reviewed the complete power plant and went through serious of sessions with key technical team in areas of resource management, multiple unit control and operation from one control room, maintenance practice, spare parts and stock, communication and relations with utility authorities and grid, and more. 

We are happy to announce that we have completed the acquisition of a shovel-ready energy storage asset in Upton County, Texas from Con Edison Development.

Ormat will design, build, own and operate a 25 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project at the site.

The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects we develop, own and operate, are among the most diverse and advanced currently operating in the United States.

The project is co-located with an operational 157 MW solar PV generating facility that is owned and operated by CED Upton County Solar, LLC. 

The BESS facility will provide much needed ancillary services and energy optimization to the wholesale markets managed by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Texas is currently experiencing growth in renewable energy deployment and fast-acting energy storage resources are expected to play an increasing role in allowing ERCOT to absorb such intermittent generators, while also coping with increased frequency of extreme weather events.

Doron Blachar, Chief Executive Officer of Ormat Technologies, commented, “This represents our second energy storage project in Texas, following the success of our Rabbit Hill BESS project which has been operating with high availability within the ERCOT market since April of this year. We are delighted to have been able to partner with Con Edison Development, a leading renewable energy developer and independent power producer, and hope to extend this collaboration further in the future. With this second project, Ormat strengthens its position as one of the early movers in the ERCOT energy storage market. Ormat is well-positioned to grow its energy storage footprint, and this acquisition reinforces our target to add between 80 MW to 175 MW revenue-generating energy storage assets by year end 2022 and is in-line with our stated strategy to build, own and operate energy storage assets in strategic high growth markets including Texas.”  

As the world’s transition to clean energy gathers speed, renewable energy sources like wind and solar are penetrating the global energy market. These intermittent resources are increasingly being paired with energy storage systems to balance out the electricity supply and ensure that the supply of electricity generation matches the demand.

WE STORE ENERGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Taiwan's first commercial Geothermal power plant with Ormat technology of 4.2MW, in Yilan County, would generate enough electricity to power 10,000 households and has potential for expansion to further utilize the area’s geothermal resources.

Yilan has long been recognized as having a potential for geothermal energy generation in Taiwan, with hot springs in the area.

Ormat equipment and technology was import to Taiwan, to our customer, Chingshuei Geothermal Power Corporation.

The plant extracts water with temperatures of up to 180°C from 1,200m to 2,100m underground and runs it through a heat exchanger to generate electricity, before pumping it back into the ground again.

In the future, Quingshui Geothermal Power Plant will recruit technicians and technicians in Yilan, and increase local employment opportunities through local talents. It hopes to attract local young technical talents to return and prosper the local economy and develop local employment opportunities. 

Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te said at the inauguration ceremony that he hoped all sectors would work out a good green growth strategy to allow Taiwan to move more steadily and smoothly towards its goal of achieving decarbonization by 2050.

For the last three decades, ORMAT has built power plants around the world- over this long history we have learned the critical lessons needed for successful and complete a geothermal project anywhere around the globe, meeting our budget and schedule goals.

WON'T YOU JOIN US?

We are pleased to share the signing of a contract with POLARIS INFRASTRUCTURE to supply a 10MW geothermal power plant. The new binary plant will extend the existing San Jacinto Geothermal Project owned by Polaris, In Nicaragua.

In the process of securing this contract, we made another step to increase our presence in Latin America as a strategic territory.

As part of the agreement, Ormat will supply products to a 10 MW of a geothermal air-cooled Ormat Energy Converters (OEC) to Polaris Infrastructure Inc. , a Toronto-based company engaged in the operation, acquisition and development of renewable energy projects in Latin America, for the San Jacinto facility in Telica, Leon, Republic of Nicaragua.

Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, said, “This contract expands our backlog and provides further evidence of the increase in the demand for our products after the slowdown we have experienced over the last year, mainly related to COVID. Demand for clean, renewable energy continues and Geothermal remains attractive as a baseload option. As a recognized leader in geothermal we expect to recognize increased interest from partners and operators around the world.”

 

Marc Murnaghan, Polaris’ CEO commented, “Adding this Binary Unit will help us expand the capacity of the resource, taking full advantage of the potential energy from the resource. This will enable us to meet the demand of the extended PPA, providing clean, renewable, and affordable electricity to the citizens of Nicaragua and increasing cash flows for the years to come. Ormat has a proven reputation, supplying clean, reliable, cost effective and sustainable electricity for more than 55 years to power grids on five continents.”

Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) is delighted to announce that it has signed a supply contract for the delivery of a geothermal production pump (OPP) for the Landau geothermal plant in Germany.

This is the first line shaft pumps in europe, part of 140 ormat's production pumps around the world.

Once delivered to site and installed, Ormat’s Proprietary Production Pump (OPP) will replace the existing pump.

Ormat’s OPP pumps with a capacity of up to 1200m3/hr
Maximum pressure of 69 bar
Maximum depth of 830m
Best suited to supply the geothermal market needs in Europe

Ormat’s  hydraulic components are designed using state-of-the-art CFD, FEA, and CAD software programs, in order to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

Ormat’s OPP product line of customized geothermal production pumps delivers renewable energy solutions world-wide. The pump for the geothermal plant in Landau /Germany will be Ormat’s first line shaft pump delivered to a geothermal plant in Europe.

The vertical integration of ORMAT provides many advantages when it comes to production pumps. Ormat personnel manage every phase in the life cycle of a geothermal production pump: Design and drilling of the wells, pump specification according to reservoir conditions and limitations, mechanical design, pump assembly, installation, performance monitoring and troubleshooting

This diverse base of in-house expertise enables Ormat to adapt to new and existing well constructions and other challenges, including high temperatures, deep settings, high flow rates, challenging brine chemistry, etc.

All of this means that Ormat accounts for many factors and uncertainties in the preliminary design of its pumps, in order to avoid costly failures following installation.

There are more than 140 Ormat production pumps in operation around the world. Since Ormat operates these production pumps at its own plants, all of Ormat new production pump components are tested in real geothermal wells, as the last phase of their R&D process.

Over the years Ormat have developed extensive knowledge on how to detect problems and what is the best response for each scenario. In recent years Ormat have programmed this knowledge into its own control systems, so the pump will automatically react accordingly when a problem is detected, making normal production pump operation completely autonomous.

Ormat is constantly looking forward developing new products, improving existing products, and implementing new technologies, in order to provide the best solutions for the industry.

In the last year Ormat's teams have been working to complete the expansion of the McGinness

Hills Complex in Eastern Nevada.

The McGinness Hills Phase 3 increases the power plant net capacity to approximately 69 MW, bringing the entire McGinness Hills complex capacity to a total of approximately 160 MW.

The Phase 3 expansion is an example of Ormat’s continued commitment to maximize output during peak hours by deploying our most advanced plant designs such as improved air-condensers, turbines, and other design improvements. The new capacity is sold under the SCPPA power purchase agreement.

The McGinness Hills Phase 3 power plant continues to sell its electricity under the current 25-year long term portfolio power purchase agreement with Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) to provide 100% of the geothermal power from the expansion project to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). LADWP has been receiving 48 MW of McGinness Hills 3 geothermal power plant since December 15, 2018. The recently completed McGinness Hills Phase 3 Expansion project on May 5, 2021 will provide an additional 21.25 MW to LADWP. These two projects, coupled with the four other Ormat geothermal projects totaling 57.4 MW, brings LADWP’s total Northern Nevada geothermal portfolio with Ormat to 126.65 MW.

Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, said, “The McGinness Hills Complex is the largest geothermal complex in Nevada and the fourth largest in the United States, providing clean, renewable, environmentally responsible energy to the residents of Nevada and Southern California. This enhancement effort increases our capacity and improves our operating efficiency, ensuring that our customers and the residents we serve will enjoy renewable baseload energy for years to come. We leveraged the capabilities and expertise of our product segment to rapidly and cost-effectively bring this expansion online. This new state-of-the-art facility will provide additional electricity for approximately 12,000 homes while offsetting approximately 120,000 tons of CO2, providing the highest level of efficiency and safety in the geothermal industry.”

 

“The completion of McGinness Hills Phase 3 geothermal plant provides a significant step toward our 100% clean energy future. Unlike wind and solar, which only generate power when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, a geothermal plant produces energy continuously, so we can rely on it for base-load renewable power, 24/7 around the clock,” said Reiko Kerr, LADWP senior assistant general manager of Power System Engineering, Planning and Technical Services. “The 126.65 MW geothermal portfolio currently online will provide approximately 4.7% of our customer annual energy needs and helps attain our goal of 80% renewable energy by 2030. When added to our other non-greenhouse gas resources, it will result in approximately 97% carbon free energy by 2030.”

Ormat is pleased to announce about the new contract secured in Indonesia with Star Energy Geothermal Salak.

The new Geothermal power plant will supply 14 MW that will extend the Salak Geothermal field in Indonesia.

We are proud to take partnership with a local contractor that will provide the EPC services. The supply of the plant is expected to be completed within 12 months from contract start.

The Salak geothermal field is located near Jakarta on the southwest flank of the Gunung Salak volcano and is currently contains geothermal power plant utilizing steam.

The new 14 MW Salak geothermal power plant will use air-cooled Ormat Energy Converter and will allow 100% geothermal fluid reinjection which serves both to sustain the reservoir and to produce electrical power with virtually no environmental impact.

Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, said, “This contract signals that the markets for our products segment are beginning to reopen as the impact of Covid-19 dissipates. We expect to record revenue partially in 2021, with the balance in 2022. Demand for clean, renewable energy continues and municipalities and utilities are seeking to expand the use of geothermal resources wherever possible. As the impact of the pandemic continues to decrease, we plan to pursue additional contracts worldwide.”

 

Ormat and Clean Power Alliance Signed a 15-Year Agreement for geothermal power

This month (May 2021), Ormat announced that it signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for geothermal power with the Clean Power Alliance (CPA), the fifth largest power provider in California. CPA will purchase 14 MW of power from the Heber South geothermal facility in Imperial Valley, CA. This agreement is a huge milestone for CPA as its first geothermal power contract, and we are proud to partner with the single largest provider of 100% renewable energy to customers in the nation.

The addition of Heber South will contribute to CPA’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and enhance overall reliability for CPA’s more than one million southern California customer accounts.

This is Ormat’s first contract with CPA, creating the potential for additional agreements in the future as CPA pursues aggressive goals to provide renewable energy to southern California.

Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, said, “This agreement establishes a mutually productive relationship with CPA, a recognized leader in the renewable sector, and gives Ormat additional security through a longer-term PPA than our prior agreement. Ormat will add 14 MW of renewable energy to CPA’s already diverse energy portfolio, enabling CPA to power 19,400 homes and bringing CPA closer to meeting its regulatory obligations under SB 100 and SB 350, which requires that 65% of Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) procurement be sourced from long-term contracts beginning in 2021.”

 

“Partnering with Ormat Technologies is a great fit for Clean Power Alliance as the Southern California Heber South facility will allow us to provide renewable geothermal electricity to our customers when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing,” said Ted Bardacke Executive Director of Clean Power Alliance. “This is a win for the environment and a win for grid reliability.”

 

Heber Complex, California, USA

When: May 5th 2021

UNLOCK THE VALUE OF WASTE HEAT POTENTIAL

Ormat is proud to start a series of free lectures on her REG - Recovered Energy Generation.

Did you know that industrial waste heat can be a valuable resource for emission free electricity?
Join our FREE WEBINAR about the world of Waste Heat and Recovered Energy Generation.
Learn about Ormat activity in the waste heat market, our projects in the USA and Europe and how you can use this technology in your factory.

Sign up to learn about Waste Heat Recovery projects, Tools for calculating heat power generation and how it can help you.

This webinar will be made out of 3 sessions:

May 5th 2021 - Introduction to Ormat Recovered Energy Generation - REG

May 12th 2021 - Make it practical - Tools for calculating heat power generation

May 19th 2021 - Experts panel & Open Q&A

Click to register 

Ormat is proud to announce Commercial Operation of the 10 MW/ 40 MWh Vallecito Battery Energy Storage Facility in California

Ormat announced the commercial operation of the 10 MW/40 MWh Vallecito Battery Energy Storage System (Vallecito BESS). The Vallecito facility brings together best-in-class products, services and engineering talent to provide much needed local capacity, ancillary services and energy optimization to the region’s power grid.

The Vallecito BESS provides local resource adequacy to Southern California Edison (SCE) under a 20-year energy storage resource adequacy agreement. In addition, the facility will provide ancillary services and energy optimization through participation in merchant markets run by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).

The Vallecito BESS is Ormat’s second operating BESS facility in California with one more project under construction and multiple other projects in various stages of development.

“The Vallecito BESS facility will provide resiliency to the Goleta area and it will also help enhance the overall reliability of the grid as California transitions to 100% emissions-free renewable energy,” said William Walsh, SCE vice president of Energy Procurement & Management.

“We brought together best-in-class products, services and engineering talent to deliver a battery energy storage system that provides much needed local capacity, ancillary services and energy optimization to the region's power grid,” commented Doron Blachar, Ormat’s Chief Executive Officer. “Vallecito represents our seventh operating BESS facility in the US and underscores our strategy to develop, own and operate energy storage facilities in several key US markets, including California, New Jersey (part of the PJM Interconnect), Texas and Vermont (part of the ISO New England). Ormat is committed to be an active participant in California’s effort to achieve its goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045 through massive deployment of renewable energy and energy storage resources. We are pleased to expand our decades-long relationship with SCE with this latest resource, and look forward to continuing to leverage our proven development and operations capabilities to provide load serving entities and grid operators with the expertise to enhance grid performance, stability and responsiveness – while delivering capacity where it is needed the most.”

A NEVER-BEFORE SEEN GLIMPSE INTO TO THE DEPTH OF THE WELL

 By Benjamin Eilan 

Ormat engineers has been developing a new sensor to easily operate production pump in wells that are consider extremely challenging.

One of the main challenges in the operation and commissioning process of a deep geothermal line shaft pump is the differential movement between rotating and stationary parts.

Production pump are designed with extra axial play, meaning, they can tolerate more differential movement between rotating and stationary parts before an impact occurs.

However, in some cases even this extra axial play is not enough, and an impact between rotor and stator occurs, in what is called "topping" or "bottoming". This kind of impact can end in a very costly catastrophic failure, in some cases, only a few minutes (!) after a pump has been commissioned.

To answer this challenge, Ormat has developed and patented a novel downhole position sensor which tracks the rotor's relative position in real time, enabling operations teams to perform all commissioning and operations with a never-before seen glimpse into to the depth of the well.

Ormat has been developing and testing this sensor over the last few years, and with its aid – easily operating production pump in wells that were previously considered extremely challenging.

The chart below illustrates this sensor's contribution: a startup of a deep pump was attempted, but the position sensor alerted that the impellers were dangerously close to contacting the bottom of the bowls, so the pump was immediately stopped, it's spacing was readjusted, and it has been running ever since.

HIGHER LOAD CAPACITY ENABLES A 30% INCREASE IN PRODUCTION PUMP FLOWRATE

By Benjamin Eilan 

A design change on an industry standard has enabled ORMAT to increase flow and generation revenue without costly drilling of more wells

For many years Ormat has been successfully driving its line shaft production pumps with industry standard lineshafts. A line shaft transfers the power from the motor, which located on the ground, to the pump deep below the surface.

While widely used, the industry standard equipment has its power limitations, practically limiting the pumped flowrate from a single well. In an effort to increase flowrate from existing wells, Ormat developed, in close collaboration with its vendors, an extended lineshaft assembly, including all the associated parts.

The extended lineshaft has been successfully installed and operated in wells in Ormat's fleet and enabled an increase of 30% in the flowrate extracted from these wells, directly impacting the power generation in the plant.

INCREASING PRODUCT LIFE AND PERFORMANCE WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

By Alex Katz

We are proud to introduce our new, high-performance between-bearings turbine, yet another step towards our vision of a sustainable, renewable energy future.

Utilizing the traditional radially split design, the turbine rotor in the new product is supported between the axially spaced bearings. The new design offers the best of both worlds. Maintaining the radially split design optimizes high temperature and pressure management while keeping costs to a minimum. The between-bearings rotor Enhances rotor durability, increasing the product life of the bearings and improving the power output from a single turbine by up to 50% when compared to the overhang design.

Ormat’s between-bearings turbine design is field-proven, with over 25 turbines already in operation globally. It operates with up to five expansion stages, for maximum performance and efficiency.

Steamboat Hills Repower, 2020

Steamboat Complex 1988-2020, NV, USA, 84 MW

We’re on a mission to become a leading global provider of renewable energy, while building a geographically balanced portfolio of geothermal, recovered energy, and storage assets. The between-bearings turbine is the newest addition to the Ormat family of advanced technology that already includes 71 patents…and counting! We aren’t going to stop here—our team of over 200 engineers is continually working on new technologies to improve power stations through creative thinking and advanced technology. Stay tuned to find out what they come up with next.

Congratulations to our client, Top Energy, for the commissioning of the Ngawha geothermal power station in New Zealand. The Ngawha power station will generate 32MW of power for New Zealand far north.

Ormat is proud to have provided the engineering, procurement, and construction services to bring Top Energy’s newest power station to life, and we’re ready to help your company realize its full energy potential with our wide variety of geothermal production products and services.

Community owned Top Energy recently commissioned the Ngāwhā geothermal power station (OEC4) after an intensive three-year construction, well drilling and plant assembly programme.
Despite delays due to COVID-19 the power station was completed six months earlier than planned.
A testament to the hard work the company and its contractors United Civil Construction, Iceland
Drilling, Culham Engineering and Ormat Technology, Inc.
The Ngāwhā power station secures an independent, renewable and affordable power supply, ending the region’s reliance on the National Grid and electricity being transported from the south.

Read more in Top Energy Public Advertise

We are proud to announce that Gurmat EFE 8 unit 1 was recently brought online at an exceptional short schedule, after a unique effort of the owner and Ormat start-up teams.

"Once again a fruitful and trustful cooperation between Guris and Ormat is proven to lead to a successful implementation and productive project." Says Gad Shoshan, Sales Director for the Turkish Market

The 30 MW unit, one of two in this project, brings the Germencik “Idris” site, west of Aydin to a total capacity of 260 MW which 165 MW produced out of 7 Ormat units."We cooperate with Ormat for many years. We went through many commercial and technical discussions. Down the road we know that we will get a reliable and efficient machine, operated at the shortest schedule" says Riza Kadirli Deputy General Manager of Guris "Since Ormat is the major operator of its equipment, we are sure that every piece of the equipment installed in our power plant is the highest quality from O&M perspective. After all, geothermal is a long-term business".

EFE8 unit 1 is the 42 unit operation in Turkey starting 2006. The total installed capacity of 923 MW makes Ormat the largest equipment producer in the Turkish geothermal industry.  

ABOUT ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES

With over five decades of experience, Ormat Technologies, Inc. is a leading geothermal Company and the only vertically integrated Company engaged in geothermal, recovered energy generation (REG) and Energy Storage.

With 68 U.S. patents, Ormat’s power solutions have been refined and perfected under the most grueling environmental conditions. Ormat has 578 employees in the United States and 830 overseas.

Ormat’s flexible, modular solutions for geothermal power, REG and Storage are ideal for the vast range of resource characteristics. The Company has engineered, manufactured and constructed power plants, which it currently owns or has installed to utilities and developers worldwide, totaling over 3,000 MW of gross capacity. Ormat’s current 933 MW generating portfolio is spread globally in the U.S., Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Honduras, Indonesia and Kenya.

We’re excited to announce that as of November 5, 2020 our Puna power plant has resumed operation supplying clean, renewable energy for Hawaii. We expect to reach full operation by the middle of 2021.

Over the past two and a half years, Ormat has been working closely with Hawaiian Electric to get our Puna Geothermal Power Plant back up and running after the devastating Kilauea Volcano eruption.

PGV came online in 1993, providing Hawai'i Island with clean, safe, renewable, reliable and affordable energy. 

On Sunday afternoon, May 27th (Hawaiian time), the approaching lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano, blocked the main access road to the power plant, covered the wellheads of two geothermal wells, burnt  the substation of the complex and an adjacent warehouse that stored a drilling rig.

“After safely securing the plant during the lava intrusion all we could do is sit back and watch this amazing phenomenon.” says Jordan Hara, Ormats power plant manager “I really appreciated Ormat’s commitment and support given to our Puna plant during this event and through recovery. When the lava stopped the next thing that came to my mind is when can we get back online”.

Our teams worked day and night to get the power plant back on. On November 5th, 2020, the electricity production partially resumed. We expect to gradually ramp up to 15 MW by the end of 2020, subject to the successful connection of an additional production well to the power plant.

Final goal is resuming full operation by the middle of 2021.

ABOUT ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES

With over five decades of experience, Ormat Technologies, Inc. is a leading geothermal Company and the only vertically integrated Company engaged in geothermal, recovered energy generation (REG) and Energy Storage.

With 68 U.S. patents, Ormat’s power solutions have been refined and perfected under the most grueling environmental conditions. Ormat has 578 employees in the United States and 830 overseas.

Ormat’s flexible, modular solutions for geothermal power, REG and Storage are ideal for the vast range of resource characteristics. The Company has engineered, manufactured and constructed power plants, which it currently owns or has installed to utilities and developers worldwide, totaling over 3,000 MW of gross capacity. Ormat’s current 933 MW generating portfolio is spread globally in the U.S., Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Honduras, Indonesia and Kenya.

We are proud to release for commercial implementation, our recent registered patent for WIND GUIDING VANES

For couple of years Ormat studied the wind flow production effect on its Don A Campbell geothermal complex and confirmed the theoretically known major effect on Air Cooled Condensers thermal performance. Ormat managed to recover 2000 MWh to the yearly production using its recently patented  Wind Guiding Vanes (WGV), developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and optimization process.

Following the promising results, Ormat now offers the WGV to its worldwide clients.

Wind has a major effect on Air Cooled Condensers thermal performance, thus, on geothermal plants power generation. To regain plant generation during winds, wind effect analysis was performed in Don A Campbell, an Ormat geothermal power plant in Nevada. Field tests were executed on small scale system, including fan flowrate measurements and smoke tests. Results showed a significant performance improvement with the WGV system equipped bays in windy conditions.

Rankine cycle condenser thermal performance determines the turbine back pressure, thus has direct impact on power plant generation, especially in low enthalpy (geothermal heat resource) Organic Rankine Cycle application. Following the promising results, full scale solution was implemented in Don A Campbell and is now a commercial patented solution.

AFTER:                                                           BEFORE:
  

Early this year, Ormat published a Technical paper reviewing the wind effect mitigation methods for air cooled condensers, fundamental analysis of the problem and Ormat designed solution.

Read the complete description, tests and results in the article.

Don A. Campbell Complex, NV, USA, 36 MW

The month of October 2020 has seen a tremendous growth of its geothermal power generation capacity. Ormat Technologies had a great part in this growth!

In October alone we have operated 3 geothermal power plant for our customers and partners. Among the plants are the 3.5 MW Emirler geothermal power plant, a new business for its owner Halil Pekdemir and the 20 MW Nezihe Beren geothermal power plant of Maren.

Emirler - The Pekdemir business is in the agriculture market, growing and distributing agriculture products to supermarkets. They also own their own chain. They are a big agriculture landowner around the Denizli area.
Several years ago, Mr. Pekdemir found geothermal resource in his land. First, he used it to heat and cultivate some of his greenhouse. But with the discovery of a stronger resource in Emirler, we met and worked on a program to develop it for electricity generation too.
On Dec 6th ,2019 we sign the first unit, Emirler JES 1, in a capacity of 3.5 MW.
We are very proud that with the full support of Pekdemir team, headed by Sinan Akbay, we succeeded to deliver and install the first unit in a record time of less than 11 months.
Now we are planning the continuation- Emirler JES 2 and other areas in the future.

Nezihe Beren - Yet another geothermal power plant of Maren, one of Kipas Holding companies. Maren signed their first geothermal plant in Germencik area (Irem) with Ormat on Feb 11, 2010.
Nezihe Beren was signed on June 20, 2019 for 20 MW gross capacity. It is Maren’s 7th power plant, and with ken 1& 3 and Kiper 1, Kipas hold 10 power plant in total rated gross capacity of 220 MW.
With this power plant, the number of Ormat technology based operating powerplants in Turkey reaches 40, and 3 under construction.

Emirler, Pekdemir, Turkey, 3.5 MW

Emirler, Pekdemir, Turkey, 3.5 MW

With travel and safety restrictions limiting our geothermal facility tours this year, our business development and marketing teams have come up with a creative solution to show off our newest facility! Check out the 360-degree video of our newest geothermal facility, Steamboat Hills, below. With 360-degree video technology, you can pause the video, move the screen, or tilt your phone to view the plant from any perspective you want. Give it a test drive on your laptop, phone, or tablet device to see geothermal as you’ve never seen it before. (Recommended browser is Chrome, recommended setting of 1080p.)

The Steamboat Hills complex is located in Washoe County, Nevada and is part of the Steamboat Complex that is comprised of six power plants utilizing binary systems with both air and water cooling. The generating capacity of the complex is 84 MW, with the first plant reaching commercial operation in 1992, and the most recent plant reaching commercial operation in June of 2020.