Cheap and renewable-Is geothermal the right solution for Kenya?

African countries are power hungry. Many people in Africa still lack access to electricity. Kenya, a country with 45 million people, still has two thirds of population without the access to electricity. Even country's capital, Nairoby, has frequent power cuts.

Is geothermal energy the right solution for Kenya - not only to provide stable supply for electricity but also to become the most important source of renewable energy in the country?

Africa's Great Rift Valley is definitely among the best areas in the world in terms of geothermal energy potential, and Kenya could be one of the countries to have great benefits from it.

In ideal scenario, Kenya could even become global geothermal leader because the potential is immense. There are several sites scattered throughout the Rift Valley which have an estimated potential of more than 10,000 megawatts.

Kenya already produces respectable 609 MW of geothermal power, which ranks it in the top ten geothermal power producers, at the eight place.

The country's geothermal power plant Okaria is the largest geothermal plant in Africa, located 75 miles northwest of Nairobi.

Hydropower is still the most important source of renewable energy in the country with the production of 820 MW in 2015. Hydropower is affected with droughts, that are becoming more frequent, and thus country must rely on other sources of energy.

Kenyan government sees geothermal energy as the perfect renewable energy source for years to come. The so called "Vision 2030" plan has its main aim in achieving 5,000 MW from geothermal energy in 2030 which would make geothermal energy primary energy source in the country and turn Kenya into one of the global geothermal energy leaders.

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Tanzania should give geothermal energy a chance

There are several African countries with excellent geothermal potential. Geothermal is together with solar the most talked about renewable energy option in Africa.

One of the African countries with excellent geothermal potential is Tanzania.  Tanzania has abundant geothermal resources with recent official estimates going at around 5,000 MW of geothermal power capacity, with 50 potential areas across the country.

The regions with the biggest geothermal potential in the country include the Northern Zone, comprising Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Mara regions; the Southern Zone with Rukwa and Mbeya regions, and the Eastern coastal belt.

It has been reported that Tanzania would be able to produce 200MW from geothermal by 2020, with the help of Public-Private Partnership arrangements.

There are several foreign companies interested in geothermal energy development in Tanzania. The government will have to create better conditions for foreign investments by creating better business environment by adopting progressing renewable energy policy.

The Minister of Energy and Minerals Prof. Sospeter Muhongo, has already directed the Tanzania Geothermal Development Company (TGDC) to start drilling in the area of Lake Ngozi by June 2016.

On global level, geothermal power developments are estimated to total $7.99bn in 2016.

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Geothermal energy sector needs better promotion

Solar and wind usually take all the spotlight when discussing the potential clean energy alternatives for fossil fuels. Geothermal energy, despite being very reliable clean source of energy is usually regarded as low tier energy alternative. What geothermal energy sector needs is better promotion on global scale.

This is where Global Geothermal Alliance should step in and make the difference. This alliance, which was funded in 2014, consists of 36 countries, and has a main goal of strengthening the geothermal industry's skills base.

Global geothermal energy production grows approximately three to four percent per year but this is still only a tiny fraction of total geothermal potential. There is much more room for global geothermal energy industry to grow and become one of the leading industries in clean energy sector.

Global Geothermal Alliance recently stated that "geothermal energy development particularly in developing countries, faces important challenges. Due to risks related to geological drilling during the exploration phase, along with the associated costs, financing the early stage of the process is limited to investors that understand and accept the possible associated risks."

Exploration and drilling costs still provide major obstacle to spreading geothermal energy industry in new parts of the world. New technologies will have to be developed in order to reduce high upfront costs of new geothermal energy projects.

Global Geothermal Alliance was funded in September, 2014 at the summit organized by UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The alliance is hopeful to achieve a five-fold growth in the installed capacity for geothermal power generation and at least two-fold growth for geothermal heating by 2030.

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New Zealand making use of its geothermal resources

New Zealand is rapidly becoming one of top players in global geothermal market. In the last five years New Zealand has accounted for approximately one quarter of new geothermal capacity worldwide.

New Zealand is currently the fifth largest geothermal power producer in the world as the country continues to use the richness of abundant geothermal resources at its disposal.

The country has long history of geothermal energy use with the first geothermal plant Wairakei, being developed back in 1950s.

The strong development of geothermal energy industry in New Zealand is one of the major factors behind the fact that country had generated close to 80% (79.9) of electricity from renewable energy sources at the end of 2014. New Zealand's renewable energy goal is to achieve 90 % of electricity  coming from renewables by 2025.

As already stated above geothermal energy has been a reliable source of renewable energy for New Zealand for more than 60 years. It is clean, cost-competitive with fossil fuels and very abundant in New Zealand.

The global geothermal capacity is expected to double within this decade as worlds looks for renewable energy solutions to ensure low carbon future and deal with issues such as climate change and pollution.

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Japan set for more geothermal in years to come

Japan is country rich with geothermal resources. After the recent Fukushima accident this Asian country has been looking for various clean energy options with geothermal being at the top of the energy ladder.

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently announced that the country will likely more than double its current geothermal power capacity by 2030, with currently installed 520 MW climbing to around 1300 MW in 2030.

Japan is currently third largest geothermal power producer in the world, accounting for approximately 5% of global geothermal power capacity. The country has 50 year old tradition in producing geothermal power capacity that started in the 1960s.

The country has plenty of untapped geothermal power resources. The 2011 government study estimated Japan's geothermal power potential to be at 19.14GW.

Geothermal is not the only renewable energy source to receive big attention in Japan. The country also plans to add 350 megawatts to 2,960 megawatts in hydro capacity and 1,500 MW of biomass capacity by 2030.

A diversified renewable energy portfolio looks to be the main factor in Japan's energy policy for the foreseeable future.

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Global geothermal energy development looks set for future growth

Global geothermal energy development had a positive year in 2014. According to a report by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) global geothermal capacity has increased by 700 MW in 2014, which is a significant increase compared to 600 MW in 2013.

GEA further reports that at the end of 2014 there were 1.8 GW of power under construction and 11.7 GW of capacity additions in development in 80 different countries of the world.

Not only are governments of many countries considering this renewable energy source to meet their clean energy goals but there is also a significant help from World Bank that continues to fund geothermal energy projects worldwide.

The fastest growing geothermal markets are the emerging economies in the South Pacific, Central America and East Africa. Indonesia and Philippines have strong geothermal energy development in the South pacific, Costa Rica and El Salvador in Central America and Kenya in East Africa.

Many energy analysts believe that geothermal energy will become a primary source of renewable energy in East Africa. In fact, certain estimates say that by 2040, geothermal energy could become the second largest power source in East Africa.

GEA predicts bright future for global geothermal energy development in years to come claiming that by 2024 global geothermal power generation should reach a minimum of 20 GW.

Global geothermal capacity should significantly grow in 2015, though United States is expected to experience slowdown due to U.S. state and federal policy adjustments.

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Geothermal energy is a viable option for British Columbia

Goethermal options looks to be one of the most feasible clean energy options for Canada. In fact, the latest report released by the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association  (CanGEA) states that Canadian province British Columbia could develop geothermal for half the cost of hydro.

Geothermal has more advantages than just costs, it is environmentally friendly source of energy that also creates new well paid jobs (an average of of 1,700 permanent jobs are created when you develop 1 GW of geothermal). It is not just the hot water that gets extracted when harnessing geothermal well but also numerous minerals which include silica, lithium, manganese, zinc and sulfur, all of which can find its use in many other businesses and industries.

CanGea, for instance, claims that British Columbia’s has enough geothermal power potential to satisfy its entire future power needs. 

The hot water, and numerous minerals like like silica, lithium, manganese, zinc and sulphur, obtained through this process is used by other businesses.

Hydropower, on the other hand, is not only connected with major construction costs but there is also a significant environmental impact connected with the building of new dams (such as potentially major forest losses.)

Canada, though having significant geothermal energy potential is yet to develop any meaningful geothermal energy project. British Columbia, Yukon and Alberta are said to have the largest geothermal resources in Canada. 

Hydro and wind are currently the most preferred clean energy options for Canadians. The fact that Canada is the only major country in the Pacific Rim that is not producing electricity from its geothermal resources says enough for itself. Why not start with geothermal in British Columbia?

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Tanzania must fulfill its geothermal energy potential

The African Rift Valley area has excellent geothermal power potential, and Tanzania is one of the African countries with the richest geothermal resources at its disposal with current estimates saying that Tanzania accounts for one tenth of total geothermal energy potential in Africa.

The entire African Rift Valley area has the total potential of 40,000 MW, and Tanzania is said to have a total geothermal energy potential of more than 5,000 MW.

The Tanzania is yet to start harvesting geothermal energy despite this huge potential. The Tanzanian Vice-President Mohamed Bilal has announced that geothermal energy will play big part in country's energy sector as government plans to almost double its current electricity generation capacity from the current 1.470 MW to 2,780 MW by the end of the 2015.

Geothermal energy in Tanzania does not only have the potential to meet country's entire energy needs, it can also lead to additional economic benefits by selling the surplus to neighboring countries. Tanzania plans to increase its generation capacity to 10,000 MW by the 2025, and geothermal energy should be a vital cog in achieving this energy target. If this plan turns successful Tanzania could become one of the leading industrial powers in entire Africa.

The abundance of geothermal resources gives Tanzania excellent opportunity to kickstart not only its clean energy development, but also industry and economic development too. What country needs to do now is to attract investors and harness this amazing renewable energy source.

Tanzanian government announced its commitment to invest major funds into renewable energy sector, especially geothermal energy, If geothermal energy development goes as planned Tanzania could soon become one of the clean energy leaders in Africa.

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Geothermal energy in United States- Current outlook

Geothermal energy use has been growing lately in United States (geothermal generation increased 11% in the last five years, between 2008 and 2013) though it still represents a mere 0.4% of total U.S. electricity generation. Geographically speaking, the Western United States, most notably California, have been responsible for most of the total U.S. geothermal energy development.

Unlike solar and wind, which are intermittent renewable energy sources, geothermal energy is available 24-7, and electricity is generated by harnessing underground reservoirs of hot water, which throughout the entire year remain at pretty much constant temperatures.

According to the latest Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) report there are currently 64 operational geothermal power plants in United States. The total capacity of these 64 plants is little above 2700 megawatts (MW).

The state of California leads the way in U.S. geothermal energy development. In 2013, California added approximately three quarters of the entire new geothermal capacity in the United States. California is also the home to the largest geothermal power plant complex in the world, the famous Geysers, with more than 700 MW of total capacity.

Majority of installed geothermal power plants in United States have relatively small capacity, in most cases even below 1 MW.  The other U.S. states with notable geothermal energy development include Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Hawaii.

The exploration and drilling costs are still major setback that drives investors away from geothermal energy. Perhaps, with the new technologies such as EGS (enhanced geothermal systems) the total costs connected with new geothermal  plants will go down, and geothermal energy can in years to come achieve popularity of solar and wind.

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U.S. geothermal development can go full steam ahead

Geothermal energy development in United States hasn't look very promising in the last couple of years. For example, United States only added 85 megawatts of new geothermal capacity in 2013, which represents decline of around 40 percent as compared to 2012.

But the future of U.S. geothermal energy sector doesn't look to be that gloomy, in fact there are currently 124 geothermal energy projects underway in the United States, most of which are located in California and Nevada.

California is the leading U.S. state in geothermal energy development, with most of geothermal power coming from The Geysers, the world’s largest geothermal field. The newly proposed bill calls for the installation of 500 megawatts by 2024 in California, most of which should come from the Salton Sea initiative (a plan that calls to extract geothermal power from under a manmade desert sea).

Nevada is also looking forward in terms of new geothermal energy projects. The state has rapidly surpassed its renewable energy goals, and now looks to add even more geothermal energy to its renewable energy portfolio.

Of course, geothermal energy development isn't without certain drawbacks, such as high construction costs and geography, but unlike solar and wind geothermal energy doesn't suffer from the intermittency issue, which means that geothermal power is more reliable than solar and wind power.

Geothermal energy projects still lack popularity of solar and wind projects. Many investors still look at geothermal as risky business but at least things look to be shaping in the right direction, and geothermal energy development might finally take off in United States.

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Geothermal energy could have bright future in South America

Geothermal energy development is progressing in almost all parts of the world. The latest report by the International Energy Association (IEA) claims that geothermal energy today provides 4-5% of global electric power, while in 2010 geothermal energy accounted for less than one percent.

Geothermal energy sector is still not developing as fast as solar and wind sectors but things are certainly looking good for global geothermal energy industry, especially because many countries now consider taking advantage of hydraulic wells that were exhausted for their oil and gas supply but are now being considered for conversion to geothermal wells.

South America is also weighing its renewable energy options, and geothermal energy looks to be a very interesting renewable energy option for many countries such as Chile, Argentina, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Honduras. All these countries have significant geothermal potential and geothermal energy could become major player on these energy markets.

Chile leads the way in developing geothermal energy projects in South America by having 50 early stage projects and prospects. The untapped geothermal energy potential of South America is huge and it is estimated to be at around 30,000 MW.

Geothermal energy isn't an intermittent source of energy as this is the case with the more popular renewable energy sources - solar and wind. It is very reliable and consistent source of energy because of the stable 50-60 degree Fahrenheit heat below the earth surface throughout the year.

Exploration and drilling costs are still significant but hunger for more renewable energy will no doubt overcome these obstacles and turn geothermal energy into one of the major renewable energy players in the market, not just in South America but the rest of the globe too.

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Geothermal energy development shaping nicely in Utah

California and Nevada are nation's geothermal energy leaders but there are dozens of other US states that could give this renewable energy source a chance to find its place in their energy portfolios. One of positive examples is the state of Utah which last year finished construction of geothermal energy plant in Millard County with 25 megawatts of installed geothermal capacity.

US Geothermal Energy Association recently issued a report discussing potential geothermal projects in varying stages of development in the state, most of which are being concentrated in a central Utah area.

The reports also claims that Utah has plenty of untapped geothermal energy resources, where Utah could in years to come more than double its currently installed geothermal capacity.

Last year, United States added approximately 85 megawatts of new geothermal capacity, with Utah being the third largest state in newly installed capacity with 25 MW, behind California and Nevada.

The US geothermal energy industry is currently experiencing slowdown because the demand for new geothermal power plants is very low, not just because of high construction and drilling costs, but also because some other renewable energy sources (most notably solar and wind) receive lion share of attention, from both states and federal government.

United States is still global geothermal energy leader with the total installed geothermal energy capacity of 3442 MW at the end of 2013. But other countries seem to be giving geothermal lot more room to grow,  so hopefully Utah's example will give other states with good geothermal energy potential a positive path to follow.

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Kenya's best option for electrification is geothermal energy

The African country Kenya still has major problems with electrification of its rural areas. It has been estimated that only one in ten Kenyans in the rural areas of the country has access to electricity, and this situation will have to rapidly change if Kenya wants to improve its economic standard in years to come.

Geothermal energy certainly looks like one of the best options to solve this issue. Kenya has been using its geothermal energy resources for three decades so this is an energy source that has managed to build some tradition in the country. Unlike hydropower, geothermal energy is more dependable because hydropower, that is currently the number one source of electricity in Kenya, depends heavily on the amount of rainfall.

In 2013, geothermal energy generated around 770 MW of electricity in Kenya. The potential is lot higher because country has dozen of sites that could be used to harness geothermal resources such as Suswa, Longonot, Olkaria, Menengai, Lake Baringo and Lake Magadi that could generate more than 5000 MW of geothermal electricity.

Kenya's government must find the right way to attract investments and utilize geothermal energy on grand scale. Not just because Kenya is rich with geothermal energy resources but also because geothermal energy is cost-effective renewable energy solution that doesn't depend on weather and climate like for instance hydropower does.

Fourteen years ago Kenya's Government instituted the Least Cost Power Development Plan (LCPDP) that ranked geothermal as one of the most affordable clean energy options. Now it's up to the country to go big with geothermal. More geothermal power would mean more electricity and more electricity would certainly give Kenyan economy a push they so desperately need.

Geothermal energy is clean energy source that is readily available in this African country. Harnessing geothermal energy is certainly the right step in the direction of Kenya's electrification.

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The start of geothermal energy development in New Mexico

New Mexico has made it to the list of U.S. states that harness geothermal energy to generate electricity. The first phase of geothermal power plant construction  in the Animas Valley,  in the southwestern part of the state, is done, and the plant is now working at a capacity of 4 MW.

The current capacity should increase up to 10 MW by the end of this year. The first phase of this project had costs of $43 million, a sum that should increase by further $67 million once the project becomes fully operational.

This geothermal power plant is a closed-loop geothermal system, meaning that the heat pumped from geothermal fluid gets transferred to a working fluid, and then this working fluid flashes and powers turbines, generating electricity, after which  it is re-injected into the same deep reservoir to be naturally reheated.

It still remains to be seen whether this plant should open the door for new geothermal power projects in the state. Southwestern New Mexico has several sites with excellent geothermal power potential so there are many who expect further geothermal energy development in the area.

This project alone was very helpful in becoming one of the most important drivers of economic development in the area so more of the same would be positive for the economy.

From the environmental point of view, some people expressed their concerns about whether geothermal power plants would affect the water quality of this area. State's environmental agencies have already announced that they will watch this plant very closely though geothermal energy developers say that this plant promises no threat whatsoever to water quality in the region.

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Geothermal energy development in Costa Rica

Geothermal energy is already one of the most important energy sources in Costa Rica. This country in Central America set a goal of achieving 95 percent of the country’s energy come from renewable sources by 2014 - whether this goal will be achieved or not will be seen very shortly (the latest reports claimed that the country currently obtains around 92% of energy from renewables). Nonetheless, geothermal energy is the second most important renewable energy source in the country, behind the hydropower.

The first geothermal power plant in the country became operational in 1994 with the capacity of 60 MW. Today, the total installed geothermal power capacity is said to be 217.5 MW. Total geothermal potential in Costa Rica is far greater, and many volcanic geothermal energy resources in the country still remain largely untapped.

One of the more interesting latest reports says that Costa Rica plans to harness the power of the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano for three new geothermal projects. It was announced that the Japanese International Cooperation Agency agreed to extend Costa Rica a $560 million loan needed to build three geothermal power plants near the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

The total capacity of these three new geothermal power plants, once completed, will be 165 MW.  It was also reported that the new geothermal power plants would generate the lowest cost electricity in the country, at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

There are still some environmental concerns over geothermal energy extraction in Rincón de la Vieja National Park and there is also a law that prohibits the extraction of resources from national parks, meaning that the Legislative Assembly still needs to review the project during upcoming extraordinary sessions. The lawmakers can solve this by modifying park boundaries and add territory somewhere else to compensate, or can even choose the reform the National Parks Law.

Goethermal energy is clean, renewable energy source that is very reliable, and unlike solar and wind does not suffer from intermittency issue, meaning it operates 24-7, 365 days a year. However, the 11,000-hectare Rincón de la Vieja National Park and the neighboring Guanacaste Conservation Area have been declared a “World Heritage Site” by the United Nations which means that the government of Costa Rica needs to find the right solution to ensure sustainable geothermal energy development in the country.

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Philippines - A geothermal energy success story

Philippines has become a one of the positive examples of global geothermal energy development, and thanks to geothermal power plants this country today gets 14 percent of its electricity supply, making it the second-largest geothermal energy producer in the world, after the United States. Not only this, the country plans to harness geothermal energy even more in years to come and hopes to become the world’s largest producer of geothermal energy by 2030, by increasing its currently installed capacity from 1,848 MW to 3,293 MW.

The larger scale harnessing of geothermal energy in Philippines started in the late 1970s with the 110-megawatt plant at Tiwi field in Albay province. The country's top six geothermal fields located in the islands of Luzon, Leyte, Negros and Mindanao. The first commercial geothermal energy production in Philippines started at the island Leyte in 1977.

What is the success story of geothermal energy in Philippines?  The secret to success is fairly simple, and it all comes down to very favorable incentives. There is income tax holiday lasting seven years, a 10-year duty-free import period on machinery, equipment and materials, and a 10 percent corporate tax after the end of the seven-year tax holiday. This is of course doing the trick in attracting developers and ensures rapid growth of geothermal energy industry in the country.

It has been said that thanks to its geothermal power plants Philippines saves anually 17 million barrels of fuel-oil-equivalent, which also leads to significant decrease in carbon emissions.

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Ethiopia to lead geothermal energy development in Africa

Many developing countries have good potential for geothermal energy development. The problem is that they usually lack money to cover upfront costs that are quite significant. In Ethiopia, for instance, the well known Reykjavik Geothermal company has agreed to build as much as 1,000 megawatts of geothermal energy projects within the next decade.

The total costs connected with this agreement are said to be around $4 billion, and the first drilling tests are expected to start early next year. The initial phase, which includes 15 MW of installation, should be completed by the end of 2015, and the 500 MW mark is expected to be reached by the end of 2018.

Ethiopian Electric Power Corp. has agreed to buy all the electricity from these geothermal energy projects under a 25-year contract. It has been also said that one-fourth to one-third of the project will be financed with equity.

Ethiopia is one of the eight African countries that can profit from being located at the Great Rift Valley in East Africa as this area is said to have abundant geothermal energy potential, estimated at around 20 GW.

This could be first of many agreements of this kind for the African continent. New geothermal energy projects could boost African economy in form of new jobs, as well as opening the door for new investors from all over the globe.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegnhopes hopes that his country will become one of the African clean energy leaders. He recently said that his vision is for Ethiopia to harness the 80,000 megawatts of renewables over the next 30 years.

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Kenya can lead geothermal energy development in Africa

Kenya is one of several East African countries with excellent geothermal power potential. Geothermal energy certainly looks to be one of the best clean energy options for Kenya, and unlike many other African countries Kenya already generates electricity from geothermal power plants, in fact it has been reported that Kenyan geothermal power plants already provide more than 200 MW of power generation.

Kenya's hunger for power will continue to grow, and current annual power generation of just 1600 MW is expected to grow to more than 15,000 MW by 2030, with geothermal resources projected to supply around 7,000 MW.

In order to achieve this goal, Kenya will require major investment to ensure such massive geothermal energy development. Attracting investors to geothermal energy projects isn't the most simple thing but massive geothermal energy potential should certainly play its role in this.

The additional problem is that of all other East African countries (such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi) only Kenya has been so far involved in efforts to harness vast geothermal energy resources while many other African countries lack even the basic strategy needed for geothermal energy development.

It is a well known fact that The Great Rift Valley, which runs from Middle East to Mozambique has excellent geothermal energy potential with many hot springs and geysers but besides Kenya there hasn't been many interested countries to harness this clean energy source.

Kenya's capital Nairobi will be the host of Geothermal Power Summit in September, 2013 where African countries should discuss the future geothermal energy development. Kenya alone is said to have geothermal energy potential of more than 10,000 MW.

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Geothermal energy looks promising for Taiwan

One of the countries that has plenty of room for further geothermal energy development is no doubt Taiwan. The recent reports suggest that this small Asian country has geothermal power potential in excess of 33,000 MW, which would be enough to satisfy the country's annual electricity demand if fully tapped.

However, Taiwan still needs to overcome many challenges, particularly technical bottlenecks, in order to seriously develop its geothermal energy potential. The current geothermal energy projects in Taiwan include  a 50-kilowatt grassroots geothermal demonstration plant, and a 1 megawatt geothermal pilot plant under construction.

Taiwan's Bureau of Energy remains optimistic that 150 megawatts of installed geothermal energy capacity could be achieved by 2025 by just using conventional techniques, with even more to come online using enhanced geothermal systems as the technology is likely to mature by then.

Many geothermal hotspots are located in national parks where drilling is prohibited, and this is another factor that needs to be considered when planning Taiwan's long term geothermal energy development goals.

The ongoing debate on nuclear power and its safety,  which currently provides around 20% of Taiwan's power, has shifted focus on other energy sources, especially after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

In this sense, geothermal energy certainly looks like one of the best possible options to replace nuclear and provide clean electricity for the country. The potential is certainly there, and is up to politics and technology to do the rest.

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The highs and lows of geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is renewable energy source in form of heat stored within the Earth's core. The first obvious advantage of geothermal energy is that this is a renewable energy source because Earth's heat is being constantly replenished by the decay of radioactive elements. Geothermal energy can thus not become exhausted as this is the case with fossil fuels.

Geothermal energy helps reduce the climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions and can lead to lot less pollution in the world. Unlike some other energy sources geothermal energy does not produce waste or toxic substances thus having minimum environmental impact.

Geothermal power plants maintenance and operating costs are almost negligible when compared to fossil fuel fired power plants (in average, the running costs of geothermal power plant  can save around 80% of costs spent on fossil fuels). There is also no energy purchase or transportation costs involve.

Goethermal energy can also help reduce the need for expensive foreign fuel import, and cut our dependence on fossil fuels to provide for heating and electricity.

Unlike solar and wind energy geothermal energy does not suffer from intermittency issue and doesn't depend on weather like solar and wind do.

Geothermal energy is not just highs there are also some lows of using this energy source.  First of all, geothermal power plants are still connected with significant construction costs (especially drilling), which often drives many investors away. Due to high construction costs and expensive drilling there are limited sites that can be the potential sources of geothermal energy (this is the major reason why geothermal energy is currently being harnessed in just 24 countries of the world).

Geothermal power extraction must be done carefully in order to avoid local depletion, and drilling if not done properly can trigger earthquakes. Also, most geothermal sites are located far away from cities and markets meaning that they require new transmission lines that don't come cheap.

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