Geothermal generates power for 60 million people
WASHINGTON, DC, US, June 8, 2005 (Refocus Weekly)
Geothermal power is generated in 24 countries and on all continents except Antarctica, according to a new study presented at the World Geothermal Congress in Turkey.
Since 2000, generation from geothermal facilities has tripled in France,
Russia and Kenya while three new countries, Austria, Germany and Papua New
Guinea, have been added to the list of producing countries, says Rugerro Bertani
of ENEL. In 2003, geothermal generated 57,000 GWh of power, an increase of 15%
from 2000 and 50% from 1995.
Countries producing geothermal power include Australia, Austria, China, Costa
Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France (Guadeloupe), Germany, Guatemala, Iceland,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Papua New
Guinea, Philippines, Portugal (Azores), Russia, Thailand, Turkey and the United
States. Canada is developing its first geothermal project of 100 MW of capacity,
near the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
“Geothermal energy is today meeting the total electricity needs of some 60
million people worldwide, roughly the population of the United Kingdom,” says
Karl Gawell of the U.S. trade group Geothermal Energy Association. “Countries
as diverse as the Philippines, Iceland and El Salvador generate an average of
25% of their electricity from geothermal sources, and geothermal serves 30% of
Tibet's energy needs.”
The U.S. produces 32% of the world’s total geothermal power, more than any
other country, but its lead is being seriously challenged, he explains.
“Several countries are moving aggressively ahead with new development,
particularly the Philippines and Indonesia, and while U.S. research budgets are
being cut, other countries are investing more in new technology,” says Karl
Gawell. The new Hot Dry Rock technology is expected to produce hundreds of
megawatts in Australia this year, and the technology could allow geothermal
power production anywhere in the world.
The U.S. geothermal power industry appears to be on a rebound, with state
renewable policies and federal tax incentives spurring a wave of new investment,
he adds. Projects are planned in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho,
Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon.
“We have just begun to tap the tens of thousands of megawatts of geothermal
resources available," says Gawell. “It's just a question of the right
economic incentives and continued advances in technology.”
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