Clean, renewable, geothermal energy explored near Colorado's Mount Princeton amidst local concerns

Considering the state and international backing for Mt. Princeton Geothermal, LLC to explore whether a geothermal plant to generate electricity using the "heat beneath our feet" would be a good fit for Chaffee County, you might expect this project to be a slam dunk. 

Not only is it clean, renewable energy, but the plan also boasts it could be the proof investors need to continue building similar plants along Colorado, helping move the state past fossil fuel consumption.

But things are rarely that simple when proposing new building projects.

The proposal for the geothermal power generator in Chaffee County (see attached) includes the who, why, and how Mt. Princeton plans to make this happen, including the environmental benefits, economic benefits, and the societal shift away from coal, seeking another power source in Colorado. 

Still, Mt. Princeton Geothermal, LLC's CEO Hank Held and Chief Scientist Fred Henderson III will tell you their plan is "more than potentially" contentious.

"We have tried and had several outreach meetings within the community and talked about the issues one by one and to answer them scientifically. In the end, a lot of them said we don't care about the science; we simply don't want it in our backyard," Held said while standing at the proposed site a couple of miles down the road from Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort. 

Held and Henderson believe issues with noise are unfounded, as both the initial wells and the plant itself would be too far away and too quiet for anyone to hear. In terms of a visual eyesore, they believe they are far enough away and hidden between hills and trees so no one would have to look at them. 

Finally, concerns over groundwater contamination simply don't make sense, as the drilling goes far deeper than any consumptive water source in the aquifer, and it is a closed system: No water goes in, no water goes out of the tubes. It's simply running fluids down cement-coated piping underground to heat up the fluid inside and bring it back up to the surface to generate steam to turn a turbine.

The process is called binary heat exchange (an unsponsored example for those interested in the inner workings of the system), and Henderson believes their plant, should it be built, could not only generate enough power for 6,000 homes but do so for three generations. It's not the only location they are considering in the area, but it is by far the best location they've found in terms of what will make the system work.

The plant wouldn't be built until they can prove it's the right spot, but early indications are that they have their target.

"We have to be able to dig the wells, hit water, find out what the temperature is. It has to be hot enough, and there has to be enough volume of water to carry heat to the surface to essentially mine the heat before we turn it into spinning power and convert it to electricity," Held explained.

That's partially why Gov. Jared Polis awarded them a grant of $500,000 to help set Colorado on the right track with geothermal energy production, and Icelandic investors are now funding the project as well. 

Held and Henderson said there's a reason Colorado hasn't explored this before: Issues between state and federal water legislation limited interest from investors. 

Now, incentives are rosy enough for Colorado to be part of the conversation again.

Another concern brought to them was the possibility of seismic activity considering the depth of the wells they will need to drill. Henderson said that fear is again unfounded.

"It should not create any seismic activity from our activity of drilling and recycling that water. Once going, it will be a steady-state system," Henderson explained.

Their hope is to prove to those worried about the impact of their plans that this is beneficial not only for current Coloradans but could also be the start of meaningful change in how energy is generated in the state.

"Nobody has proven anything in Colorado," Henderson said, referencing projects similar to theirs. "So the answer is absolutely yes, if it is successful, it will encourage more investment."