Operations are underway at Enel's Green Power North America’s Cove Fort site in Utah with the addition of submersible downhole generator technology to a geothermal injection well.

The Cove Fort plant integrates geothermal and hydro power systems. Credit: Enel Green PowerThe plant is one of the world’s first large-scale power generation facilities to combine medium enthalpy, binary cycle geothermal power with hydropower technology.

Tests demonstrated the addition of the hydro generator to the geothermal injection well resulted in an overall increase in output of 1,008 MWh during July-September 2016. This offset the energy consumption of the Cove Fort plant by 8.8%, and improved the plant’s operational efficiency.

The generator system captures the energy of water flowing back into the Earth to generate additional electricity while also better controlling the return flow of brine. The presence of the generator creates pressure against the brine flow, which reduces turbulence and minimizes potential damage to the well.

With an installed capacity of 25 MW, Cove Fort generates up to 160 GWh annually.