GeoZone

Could idle wells at The Geysers be a clean power solution?

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

A new generation of geothermal technology has proven itself in field testing in Northern California, where a state-funded demonstration at The Geysers suggests old and underperforming wells could become a faster, lower-impact path to more clean electricity.

A California Energy Commission report published in April found that GreenFire Energy’s advanced geothermal system, tested in a well at the Socrates plant, also known as Unit 18, could help unlock more than 200 megawatts (200,000 kilowatts) of potential additional electricity production in idle geothermal wells across California, enough to power over 200,000 homes. The test used a closed-loop, pipe-in-pipe heat exchanger rather than the conventional method of pulling steam or hot water from the reservoir.

The demonstration matters because California has struggled to expand geothermal power even as the state increasingly needs clean electricity that runs around the clock. Solar and wind have grown rapidly, but geothermal can generate during winter storms, at night and during multi-day periods when batteries are depleted.

“We’re working to build the renewable energy resources that will keep the lights on through the winter when solar and wind are not producing and batteries are empty,” said Geof Syphers, CEO of Sonoma Clean Power. “Geothermal is one of those key resources.”

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/07/13/geysers-geothermal-energy-geozone-greenfire-eavor/

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Lake County governments opt to delay Sonoma Clean Power expansion

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Lake County’s decade-long consideration of an alternative to Pacific Gas & Electric as the supplier of power to residents and business has been pushed back again.

Both the Board of Supervisors and Lakeport City Council on Tuesday declined to move forward with joining Sonoma Clean Power.

The supervisors failed to secure support to vote on approving the partnership during their morning meeting. And Lakeport’s council members, looking to the county’s move, also opted for more study. That followed the Clearlake City Council’s divided vote Oct. 2 against joining.

The offer required all three to join together. Because of the lead time required by the California Public Utilities Commission for implementing a community choice aggregation power provider in an area, Sonoma Clean Power had been hoping to review Lake County decisions at its November board meeting, allowing service to start in May 2027.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/10/22/lake-county-governments-opt-to-delay-sonoma-clean-power-expansion/

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Sonoma Clean Power to make pitch for Lake County to join

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Sonoma Clean Power is set to make its case Tuesday evening for Lake County to join the energy agency currently serving Sonoma and Mendocino counties. It’s a conversation a decade in the making.

The offer comes with clear conditions from the public electricity supplier. Sonoma Clean Power’s board has made Lake County’s membership contingent not only on approval from the county, Lakeport, and Clearlake but also on the county’s participation in the agency’s geothermal energy initiative.

That initiative, known as the geothermal opportunity zone (GeoZone), is a partnership among Sonoma and Mendocino counties and three energy companies. Its goal is to tap The Geysers geothermal field, which spans all three counties, to generate an additional 600 megawatts of renewable power for the North Bay. CEO Geof Syphers said joining the GeoZone is central to the offer: without consensus on new geothermal development, he cautioned, conflicts would likely emerge down the line.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/09/29/sonoma-clean-power-to-make-pitch-for-lake-county-to-join/

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