Thanks to the Peppermill and their awesome geothermal system. Thanks to Renewable Energy World for e

The Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada boasts more than 2,200 hotel rooms and suites, convention space, a spa, two pools, more than 25 restaurants and lounges, a fitness center, and more – in all, more than 2 million sq. ft. of operations. But the most interesting aspect of the resort, at least to its guests this week, may be that everywhere they walk or swim is heated by geothermal energy. movie scripts the firm tom cruise This makes the Peppermill the perfect spot for this year s GRC Annual Meeting and Geothermal Energy Expo.
The Peppermill s geothermal system not only allows the resort to highlight its use of clean energy, it is a major factor that helped the resort stay afloat during the recession. In 2009, the resort doubled movie scripts the firm tom cruise its size with the construction of a new tower block of rooms and amenities and construction took place in the midst of a nation tightening its wallets and cutting leisure costs.
We doubled in size, our utilities doubled, and we asked: What do we have to do to survive? We had geothermal, said Dean Parker, facilities director at the Peppermill. We never used it. That s what got us thinking movie scripts the firm tom cruise outside of the box, and that s how we got to where we are today.
The Peppermill s geothermal heating system is fueled by a hot reservoir 4,400 feet below the surface of its north tower parking movie scripts the firm tom cruise lot. At these depths, the facility is able to tap a steady 175 F geothermal resource that hasn t fluctuated since it was commissioned three years ago. But the project almost never came to fruition. When management was planning the massive expansion, it had decided to remove an unused shallow well near the construction site.
When we started to build this Tuscan tower many wanted to remove the shallow well, said Parker, but we not only convinced ownership to keep it, we convinced them to put $2 million into it with new pumps, new heat exchangers, and we replaced our boilers.
The entire system cost $6.5 million after drilling production and injection wells, and Parker says that the system will pay for itself in three years it will be completely paid off in June 2013. Before the system was commissioned, the Peppermill had a $2.2 million per year natural gas bill, and now geothermal completely replaced any need for natural gas.
After confirming the success of the geothermal system both in production and finances, Parker says management is looking into digging movie scripts the firm tom cruise deeper movie scripts the firm tom cruise wells to produce electricity. At it s current temperature, the well only has about a 270-kW capacity, but Parker hopes to take advantage of the vast resources further below to meet all or some of the resort's annual energy needs. He estimates that would call for a 9-MW capacity well.
In February, 2010, as the International District Energy Association movie scripts the firm tom cruise was holding our 23rd annual Campus Energy Conference, the geothermal well was capped in the middle of the hotel's rear parking lot, surrounded by a fence and concrete barriers. It was hard to believe that this single well (Well #8), which took 28 days to drill 4,421 feet ($4.5 million cost), could provide virtually all domestic and mechanical heating required throughout the facility. It has a 10-inch well casing, flows artesian at 38 psig and produces 1,250 GPM without a pump. Water temp estimated at 174-180 degrees F. The goal at the time was to shut down the 8-inch gas feed line and 3 of the 4 Cleaver Brooks 500 hp boilers. All from one well. Fantastic.
Thanks to the Peppermill movie scripts the firm tom cruise and their awesome geothermal system. Thanks to Renewable Energy World for excellent coverage of the 36th GRC Annual Meeting and GEA trade show! See you next year at the 37th GRC Annual movie scripts the firm tom cruise Meeting at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
As associate editor of RenewableEnergyWorld.com, I coordinate and edit feature stories, contributed articles, news stories, movie scripts the firm tom cruise opinion pieces and blogs. I also research and write content for RenewableEnergyWorld.com and REW magazine. I manage...