GEL will use binary power plants which emit no steam, gases or smells. It can be difficult to find images of these when searching online as most conventional geothermal plants are associated with volcanic environments, where the water is so hot that a ‘Flash’ power plant is used. GEL will keep the geothermal fluid in a closed loop and reinject it, but many flash plants do not reinject the fluid, instead releasing it as steam from a large cooling tower. This steam may also contain volcanic gases, some of which smell like rotten eggs.

For a good example of a binary geothermal power plant, click here and navigate to the second image to the left, titled “CENTRALE DE GEOTHERMIE PROFONDE DE SOULTZ-SOUSFORETS”. Click on the target symbol below the title and you will see an operational binary power plant at Soultz-sous-Forêts in France.