The Force That is U.S. Geothermal

A new report from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) [pdf] makes a bold claim with big numbers--and we all love big numbers don’t we?

Once all geothermal energy projects currently under development are on line, as much as 10 GW of renewable energy could be available to American homes. How many homes will that power? Try 7 million.

Currently, the United States holds the blue ribbon in the global geothermal race. No other country in the world harnesses as much energy in this method--though some carry a higher percentage of usage. Most of the geothermal energy in the U.S. comes from projects in California.

A Little History:

In 2005, California’s geothermal capacity alone exceeded every country’s in the world. In 2007, 4.5% of California’s electric energy generation came from geothermal power plants, amounting to a net-total of 13,439 GWh. Currently the State has approximately 2605.3 MW of installed capacity.

Geothermal is not exclusive to California, however. Seven other U.S. states currently have geothermal projects up and running: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.  Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi are soon to be added to the list.

This makes 144 projects in total which, when broken down state-by-state, suggest that California’s leadership in geothermal energy may be definitively challenged--especially by Nevada. Not that this is a race; rather, the numbers offer commentary on the energy potential found nationwide.

The Break Down:

• Nevada - 64 projects: potential 1,876-3,473 MW
• California - 37 projects: potential 1,842-2,436 MW
• Oregon - 13 projects: potential 317-368 MW
• Utah - 10 projects: potential 272-332 MW
• Idaho - 5 projects: potential 238-326 MW
• Alaska - 6 projects: potential 70 to 115 MW
• New Mexico - 1 project: potential 20 MW
• Arizona - 1 project: potential 2-20 MW
• Colorado - 1 project: potential 10 MW
• Hawaii - 2 projects: potential 8 MW
• Florida - 1 project: potential 0.2-1 MW
• Louisiana - 1 project: potential .05 MW
• Mississippi - 1 project: potential .05 MW
• Washington - 1 project: MW potential "unspecified"

The projects in the aforementioned states are categorized in the various phases of development:

• Phase I: Identifying site, secured rights to resource, initial exploration drilling
• Phase II: Exploratory drilling and confirmation underway; power purchase agreement (PPA) not secured
• Phase III: Securing PPA and final permits
• Phase IV: Production drilling underway; facility under construction
• Unconfirmed: Proposed projects that may or may not have secured the rights to the resource, but some exploration has been done on the site.

So, some of this is a waiting game. And when waiting, questions about such impressive numbers abound. Critics of geothermal question whether the resource poses a significant advantage for efficient and economical renewable energy. The technology and implementation is pricey, something that is only exacerbated with the latest string of projects being suspended due to the possibility of triggering earthquakes. One has to only look at what happened in Basel, Switzerland to be concerned.

Regardless, many consider the potential for geothermal to be vast--indicated by the breadth projects. Not only does geothermal energy seem to be endless in supply, it doesn’t deal with problems of intermittency that solar or wind have to deal with. And as more projects come to fruition, so does the U.S. goal of energy independence.

Click here for more on the pros and cons of Renewable Energy

Click here to access Candace Lombardi’s CNET report on U.S. Geothermal Energy