The existing geothermal plant will be supplemented by a small plant powered with locally sourced virgin forest biomass produced within a radius of 70 km from the plant.
"Thanks to its century-long experience in geothermal energy, Tuscany is already in the future", said Francesco Venturini, Enel Green Power's CEO.
"Hybrid technologies are the new frontier of renewable energy in our efforts to optimize performance, and this facility, which offers an innovative approach to integrating biomass and geothermal energy, is a replicable model that can open new prospects for the development of energy, the economy and employment for local communities,” Venturini said.
Thanks to the biomass, the steam entering the plant will be heated to raise the initial temperature to between 370°-380° from 150°-160°, thereby increasing net capacity for power generation.
According to Enel Green Power, the plant represents a major technological innovation with virtually no impact on the environment, as it supplements an existing industrial site, maintains the total renewability of the resource and the cycle and in fact combines two renewable energy sources for a form of generation that opens new prospects at the international level.
In this case, 5 MW of capacity from biomass will be added to a geothermal plant that currently has an installed capacity of 13 MW. The geothermal plant’s annual power output will be boosted by approximately 37 GWh.
Enel Green Power is investing more than €15 million in the project, with construction due to be completed by the first half of 2015.
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