Geothermal Energy

Generating 7 percent of Nevada's electricity from local renewable sources will create more than 2,500 jobs and generate $310 million in revenue each year

Prospectors once eyed Humboldt County's Blue Mountain, in northwestern Nevada, as a potential source of gold. But the mountain's true riches turn out to be a more sustainable commodity (and one that's far less polluting to extract). A geothermal power plant at Blue Mountain taps into boiling hot water just beneath the earth’s surface, converting it into electricity for 40,000 homes.[11]

Nevada's geothermal output is second only to California. The state’s 14 geothermal power plants have a combined 426 megawatts of electric production capacity,[12] which over the course of a year provides about 7 percent of the state's electricity.[13] Geologists in Nevada have identified numerous geothermal "hot spots" where boiling hot water, heated by liquid magma from the earth's interior, lies near the earth's surface. Tapping into these reservoirs could produce 1,500 megawatts of power by 2015, according the Western Governor’s Association.[14] Next-generation enhanced geothermal technology could produce even more energy. According to Google.org, a major investor in this technology, using a mere 2 percent of Nevada's enhanced geothermal resource potential could yield some 146 gigawatts of new electrical capacity[15] -- enough to power nearly 15 percent of the entire United States.[16]