Clear Power Utah – An Replace

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Not removed from probably the most stunning spots on the planet, Arches Nationwide Park (as proven within the picture beneath), Moab, the Inexperienced River, and the Colorado River, there’s a large new inexperienced power mission, the Inexperienced River Power Middle, which is beneath building (as proven within the lead picture above).

The mission is positioned near the large Hunter 1577MW and Huntington 1000MW coal-fired energy vegetation close to Citadel Dale, Utah, proven within the two pictures beneath.

What’s to develop into of those large coal energy vegetation as cheaper clear power with no recurring gasoline prices begin to change them? Not too long ago Rocky Mountain Energy, which owns the vegetation, deliberate to close them each down by 2032. Nevertheless, the newest plans for the vegetation name to maintain them working indefinitely. The vegetation wouldn’t function at full capability, however would simply produce simply sufficient to backfill for the photo voltaic and wind vegetation at night time and through calm climate.

On my fact-finding tour of the area, I finished on the little historic city of Helper. Helper will get its identify from the usage of helper locomotives to recover from the 7500-ft Soldier Summit Move between Huntington and Spanish Fork, Utah. I occur to take a seat down at a diner subsequent to a coal miner who labored close by. The miner informed me that the whole output of the mine goes to the Hunter Energy Plant. To my shock, he informed me that the coal goes not by rail however by truck to the ability plant, as you see within the picture beneath.

The Inexperienced River Power Middle will encompass a really giant 400MW photo voltaic farm as proven beneath building within the lead picture, and a large 1600MWh battery storage facility. In my earlier article on the topic, I confirmed photos of a Tesla Megapack storage system, however it seems that these photos have been simulations or from one other facility. After I visited the location on February 10, 2025, the large photo voltaic farm as proven within the lead picture was beneath building, however the building of the Tesla Megapack storage system had not but begun. The Inexperienced River Power Middle is simply south of the Hunter plant. It additionally seems that photo voltaic farms have additionally already been constructed each north and south of the Hunter plant. One small portion of 1 is proven beneath.

Why is that this occurring, and why right here? An enormous motive for the development is the dedication by Meta (Fb) to completely energy its information facilities with clear power. One among them is the large facility in Eagle Mountain, Utah County, Utah, as proven beneath. The photo voltaic farm and battery storage facility will have the ability to provide all the ability wanted for the information middle, a minimum of on the longer sunny days in summer time.

Why right here? These photo voltaic amenities will use the transmission networks already in place for the coal energy vegetation. The picture beneath exhibits the Hunter Energy Plant Electrical Substation, the place energy from the plant begins its journey to clients.

It seems that Meta shouldn’t be the one buyer which calls for clear energy from Utah. About 100 miles south of me, 130 miles south of Salt Lake Metropolis, in Delta, is the Intermountain 1900MW coal fired Energy Plant (IPP) proven within the picture beneath.

The shopper for the electrical energy from the plant is the Los Angeles Division of Water and Energy. After this 12 months, the LADWP will not buy energy from coal-fired vegetation. IPP is seeking to convert to fully clear power by 2045. Due to this fact, IPP is within the means of changing the plant to a 70% fossil gasoline/30% inexperienced hydrogen combine to energy a mixed cycle gasoline turbine by the tip of 2025. A mixed cycle gasoline turbine makes use of waste warmth from the gasoline turbine to provide steam. The steam is then used to energy generators like in a standard thermodynamic plant. The objective is to transform to 100% inexperienced hydrogen by 2045. There can be an electrolysis plant constructed on web site to provide the inexperienced hydrogen.

Unusually, the electrical energy for the plant will come up the identical energy traces that run to California for the output of the plant. I assume they are going to be sourcing clear California solar energy. Hopefully it’s going to come from mid-day intervals when California has a surplus of solar energy. It might appear to make extra sense to generate the ability for the inexperienced hydrogen from native photo voltaic farms, particularly as they go to 100% inexperienced hydrogen. Utah has loads of barren land and copious sunny days for the photo voltaic farms and also you don’t have to fret concerning the lack of electrical energy at night time when making inexperienced hydrogen.

Nevertheless, I agree with the arguments made by CleanTechnica authors that clear hydrogen is extraordinarily impractical and uneconomic to be used to gasoline vehicles, buses, vans, and airplanes. It makes far more sense to make use of batteries for vehicles, buses, and vans. The Delta web site has underground salt domes that can be used to retailer the inexperienced hydrogen. If the ability from California is extra that will be curtailed anyway and it isn’t essential to compress the hydrogen, a few the most important effectivity robbing traits of hydrogen use could be eradicated.

I perceive that the Trump administration has already killed all leases for offshore wind. It’s already transferring rapidly to kill subsidies for electrical automobiles, EV charging, onshore wind, and solar energy. Nevertheless, the monetary steadiness for clear wind and photo voltaic is so robust, and with firms like Meta and establishments like LADWP demanding clear energy, it received’t have the ability to cease new onshore clear energy era fully.

On my subsequent truth discovering journey I plan to go to one in every of Utah’s geothermal energy vegetation. I’ll talk about geothermal energy in my subsequent article. I consider within the clear energy bible written by Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford College. He explains why Wind, Water, and Photo voltaic are the one sensible and economical means to transform the world rapidly to scrub power. He is aware of that the current era of geothermal energy vegetation must be positioned within the comparatively few areas of the world with sizzling sufficient rocks and water near the floor. Due to this fact, he has not included utilizing geothermal within the brief time period to transform the world to scrub power. I’ll talk about the promise of deeper sources of thermal power in additional areas which will presumably be accessed sooner or later.

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