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Nor-Cal powers up with renewable energy

The Northern California Power Agency celebrated 50 years of renewable energy production at The Geysers, near Santa Rosa, with the dedication of a cutting-edge solar array in late May, according to an NCPA press release.

The new array uses water power, solar power and heat from the Earth’s interior to produce affordable energy for California.

“The integration of hydroelectric, solar and geothermal resources into a single dynamic project is unique,” said NCPA General Manager Jim Pope.

The Geysers is the largest geothermal field in the world and is composed of 22 power plants—two of which are jointly owned by the NCPA and Silicon Valley Power. The project spans 30 square miles in the northern mountains of Sonoma and Lake counties, and uses steam from 350 wells in the Mayacamas Mountains to produce the equivalent of 60 percent of the electricity needs of the region spanning from San Francisco to Oregon.