RENO—Being part of the unique high desert canvas of Reno-Tahoe has inspired the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino to adopt sweeping green initiatives to dramatically reduce the resort’s carbon footprint. For several years the resort has been mindful to minimize the impact of operations on the environment while maintaining a premiere level of service and experience for guests. The resort has used geothermal energy to heat the domestic hot water for the Tuscany Tower, including the 43,000 square foot Spa Toscana and Fitness Center as well as the two outdoor swimming pools and spas, since the 2007 expansion project. With the culmination of a $9.7 million investment, the entire resort is now online to heat both space and domestic water with geothermal energy.
As the demand to conserve increased, the Peppermill continued to investigate new and innovative ways to save precious resources. Peppermill president, Bill Paganetti, engaged world-renowned geothermal expert, Dr. Jim Combs of Geo Hills Associates LLC of Reno, to consult on the existing historical data and information from earlier projects. Because the Peppermill already had a re-injection well on the property, Dr. Combs recommended a new geothermal well be drilled on the property.
It was a gamble. Drill a well tapping in to the geothermal aquifer, betting on finding water at the correct temperature that could be captured and converted to energy through a closed loop system then returned to the earth via a re-injection well, which would heat the entire resort’s water and mechanical heat via geothermal energy.
Pay Dirt at 4,400 Feet Deep
With no guarantees and just a steadfast commitment, the Peppermill successfully hit proverbial pay dirt at more than 4,400 feet deep, becoming geothermal energy innovators and making local history with a well of this magnitude. “No one else has a geothermal well of this depth in the city of Reno,” said Dean Parker, executive facilities director at the Peppermill. “In order for a well to produce the level of geothermal energy that could accomplish what we set out to do, we had to find water at 170 degrees that can pump 1,500 gallons per minute at 150 psi. With this well, we found that and more.”
The Peppermill is able to harness geothermal energy which now heats 100 percent of the resort’s domestic water and mechanical heat throughout the 2.1 million square foot facility, 24/7, effectively replacing the natural gas boilers that currently heat the facility. This renewable energy will help the Peppermill reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and save the company millions of dollars in natural gas use.
According to Dr. Combs, “The green energy heating addition to the HVAC system at the Peppermill will now make it the only resort in the United States whose heating source is totally provided from geothermal energy produced on the immediate property.”
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