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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Geothermal power is the best clean energy solution for western US states?

Is geothermal energy really the best clean energy solution for western states. If we are to believe Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) reports then the answer is clear yes, with no doubt whatsoever.

The major conclusion is that "geothermal power is a long-term consumer bargain for the western power grid". GEA’s Analyst & Research Project Manager Benjamin Matek recently noted that “building one small geothermal plant in a community can generate $6.3 to $11 million dollars in property taxes that can be used toward education or other local services and provide 20-30 permanent jobs.”

California, the nation's leader in geothermal power generation has plenty of untapped geothermal resources. US Geologic survey estimates that California could add 2,500 permanent on-site jobs, further 20-30 million dollars in property tax revenue for the state and close to 15,000 construction and manufacturing jobs by properly developing its remaining geothermal resources.

It has been reported that an average 50-MW geothermal power plant can create permanent employment for about 100 people.

So what is preventing this clean, reliable and economically viable source of energy to go on top of the ladder in terms of clean energy production in western United States?

Many developers still find geothermal energy projects to be risky and costly, and truth be told construction costs are generally very high due to drilling. Exploration and drilling costs are in average at $6 – $10 million at well, and though recent improvements in technology (mostly in terms of multi-directional drilling) have significantly reduced the risks, we are still talking about relatively large sums of money.

The recent World bank report claims that success rate in geothermal drilling has climbed to 80% which is a very positive indicator for the future of geothermal energy development. The further technological improvements will no doubt lead to much bigger role of geothermal energy in many areas with high geothermal power potential.

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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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