November 8: Geothermal Energy: The Untapped Renewable Energy Source

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/244427267066900

With the COP26 (The United Nations Climate Summit) only a week behind us, the majority of us think of solar or wind energy when it comes to sustainable and renewable energy sources. One source of rarely mentioned, underutilized renewable energy lies to the east of Truckee, CA in the Great Basin region of the western USA, geothermal energy. Please join Tahoe Silicon Mountain, a local network of entrepreneurs and professionals, on Monday, November 8th to hear Dr. Bridget Ayling speak on unlocking the geothermal energy potential of the Great Basin region. 

Dr. Ayling will review current uses of geothermal energy and share research on 3 critical questions that could help to untap this powerful renewable resource. 

1. Where do these resources exist and why? 

2. How do fluids circulate in geothermal systems?

3. How can we improve our chances of discovering viable geothermal systems for power generation and direct use?

Dr. Ayling is an Associate Professor at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is the director of UNR’s Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy. She is responsible for developing research and education programs in the field of geothermal energy, overseeing research to understand the complexities of fluid flow in the upper crust and the implications of this for geothermal resource exploration and development. Prior to joining UNR in 2016, Dr. Ayling was at Geoscience Australia and the Energy and Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah. Dr. Ayling currently serves on the Board of Directors for the International Geothermal Association and on the Earth Resources standing committee for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering. and Medicine. She is also a proud advocate and member of Women in Geothermal (WING), a global organization that exists to support the professional development and empowerment of women in the geothermal sector. Dr. Ayling holds a B.S. with Honors in Geology and Physical Geography from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She received her Ph.D. in Paleoclimate and Environmental Geochemistry from the Australian National University in 2006.

Please join us on Monday, November 8th at 5:00 PM online at bit.ly/YouTubeTSM. The event will be available on YouTube as a livestream and after the event. Livestream for this event starts at 5:00 PM on bit.ly/YouTubeTSM, or log onto YouTube and search for Tahoe Silicon Mountain. 

The audience will be able to submit questions online during the presentation.

A suggested donation of $5.00 will help TSM to defray the expenses of live streaming the event.  Please donate at www.Tahoesiliconmountain.com

Slides from previous talk by Truckee geophysicist Heidi Anderson Kuzma

For those of you who couldn't make it to the last talk, here are the slides from the previous presentation on the Production of Natural Gas from Shale by Truckee's very own geophysicist Heidi Anderson Kuzma. The topic of the presentation is about SeTES, a web-based Self Teaching Expert System for the discovery and production of natural gas from shales.

Download PDF

April Meeting on Energy Efficiency with Michael Krueger and Kristin York

Meeting date: Monday, April 11 · 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Pizza on the Hill, Tahoe Donner

Michael Krueger, Managing Director of Kirchner Private capital Group & Kristen York, Partner Sustainametrics based in Truckee, will discuss how businesses, investors and consumers are looking beyond CleanTech to the emerging Energy Efficiency sector. "Energy efficiency a sub-category of CleanTech is focused on improving energy management throughout the energy supply/demand chain. As the second phase of CleanTech begins to emerge, investors and leading industry players are looking at the energy efficiency sector as a viable alternative to the traditional capital-intensive CleanTech companies in the market today. Much like its IT counterparts’ energy efficiency solutions provide higher gross margins, shorter time to market and significantly less capital investment." Together they will enlighten us to this evolving sector, how it can positively impact you and your business strategy. Together Krueger & York bring a fresh dimension to ‘Energy Efficiency’ conversation hoping to inspire us at the local level.


The meeting is sponsored by world-class creative and technical services company New Leaders. Dinner will be $5.

Steve Teshara to Discuss Lake Tahoe Prosperity Plan

The Lake Tahoe Basin Prosperity Plan (LTBPP) is an unprecedented regional collaboration effort to develop a Basin-wide economic prosperity strategy, which currently does not exist. The region includes all land that sheds water into the Lake Tahoe Basin in California and Nevada. The LTBPP will result in an action plan to create a more resilient economy that enhances environmental quality and ensures an improved standard of living for all residents. The Plan will provide a framework for a competitive regional strategy that recognizes local differences, leverages the distinct attributes of all communities throughout the Basin, and enables local governments, institutions, and businesses to work as partners in revitalizing the Basin economy. Read more...