Raser, United Tech partner

Raser's isn't the first geothermal energy-producing technology. But, according to Petersen, it does offer something new, the implications of which may be significant as the country intensifies its search for alternative energy sources.

"The technology allows for the use of geothermal resources, i.e. hot water, heated by geothermal activity in the earth, to generate electric power," Petersen told the Deseret Morning News. "Conventional activities require much hotter steam and water to generate electricity. (Raser's) technology is much cooler."

While conventional technology requires the use of water heated in excess of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, Petersen said the Raser plants will go "as low as 165" degrees Fahrenheit.

"And there are vast resources that produce water in that temperature range," Petersen said. "There's significant application for these geothermal plants to be used in places where conventional technology could not be used. This allows for the generation of electricity from resources that were previously passed over."

UTC's system is driven by a simple evaporation process, Petersen said, and is entirely enclosed — which means it produces no emissions while it produces electricity.

"This technology has zero emissions," Petersen said. "There's nothing that is dispensed into the atmosphere."

UTC's "PureCycle" geothermal systems, the kind that will be employed in Raser's plants, are in operation at Chena Hot Springs Resort in Alaska, as a U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies demonstration project. According to the company statements released Thursday, it "is the first geothermal project in Alaska and the lowest temperature geothermal resource ever used for commercial power generation."

Raser's stock ended the day up $1.86, or 25.8 percent, at $9.06 per share on the New York Stock Exchange.

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com