Sonoma Clean Power's Geo Zone Project, Presented by Miles Horton
Our speaker on February 6, 2025, was Miles Horton, the Legislative Policy & Community Engagement Manager for Sonoma Clean Power (“SCP”). Miles worked for 7 years as an aide to State Senator Scott Wiener and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and previously as a legal assistant on the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. He joined SCP in January 2024. Miles’ topic was SCP’s Geothermal Opportunity Zone project at the Geysers’ geothermal fields.
The Geo Zone Project seeks to develop and implement new technology to take advantage of the Geysers’ power generation capabilities. This new technology could result in long term contracts, lots of highly skilled and well-paid union jobs, and greener energy to help fight climate change. SCP currently buys clean energy from a variety of sources, including wind, solar, geothermal, and traditional energy. This energy is sent to consumers through PG&E’s wires. 90% of SCP’s energy is green. However, SCP must also rely on traditional sources of power, including natural gas and coal. Many of the natural gas plants are located in the Los Angeles area. These plants create air pollution in the Los Angeles basin and are very expensive to operate because of their age. When green sources of power are not available, such as when the wind doesn’t blow and after the sun sets or when the sun doesn’t shine, SCP must rely on these traditional aging and polluting sources to provide consumers with electrical power.
The traditional Geysers operation is based on its unique geology; molten magma deep inside the earth superheats rocks relatively close to the surface and fractures in the rock allow the resulting steam to escape to the surface. Over time, overuse of the Geysers’ steam has depleted the natural water and the Geysers now relies on wastewater transported from Santa Rosa and Windsor to create the steam. The new Geo Zone technologies could include Eavor’s advanced closed loop geothermal system, Chevron New Energy’s own closed loop enhanced geothermal technology, and Cyrq Energy’s new energy storage technology. Miles estimates that costs to implement these technologies could be between $6 and $ billion dollars!
Many thanks to Miles for the clear, concise, and interesting presentation. SCP’s Geo Zone project could be a fantastic way to keep the Geysers operating for years to come!
Click HERE to see a limited time recording of Miles Horton's presentation.
