US geothermal power to grow in 2010, according to GEA

16 December 2009

US industry body Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has predicted that the number of US states with installed geothermal power capacity will reach double figures by 2010. The association said that new projects were expected to come onstream in four to eight states, and that the DOE will recognise near-term potential of 20GW.

In a retrospective of industry progress in 2009, GEA said that the ‘launch trajectory’ identified by analysts at the start of the year had not disappointed, driven by $800m of investment in the technology. US geothermal capacity has expanded by six per cent during the year.

State and federal policy was also applauded, with key geothermal-producing states California and Nevada raising their renewable energy targets to 33 and 25 per cent by 2025.

The association said that 144 new geothermal plants are currently under development across the US and that 7GW of capacity could be installed in the next few years if momentum is sustained.

GEA predicted even stronger growth in 2010, as well as progress with new technology, and greater priority given to the industry by state policymakers, claiming that the number of states with geothermal power will reach double didgits. New technology advances will continue to expand the recognized power potential of geothermal resources; DOE will officially recognize a near-term potential of at least 20 GW, or 5 per cent of US power needs, with longer-term possibilities well over 100 GW.

Read the full report here.

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Tags: geothermal

This story was published on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 7:05 pm and is filed under North America, geothermal, policy. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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