From Green Right Now Reports
Solar and wind dominate the clean energy headlines, but the nascent geothermal industry also continues to grow. The U.S. geothermal power sector reported a 26 percent growth in new projects in 2009.
In its April 2010 report, the US Geothermal Power Production and Development Update listed 188 projects underway in 15 states.
The Leathers Geothermal Plant in Calipatria, Calif. (Photo: DOE)
These projects could produce enough power to provide the electricity for 7.6 million people, or 20 percent of all of California’s total power needs, according to the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA).
“Geothermal power can be a critical part of the answer to global warming,” said GEA’s Executive Director, Karl Gawell. “For example, California could achieve its 2020 goal for global warming emissions reductions just by keeping energy demand level and replacing its coal-fired generation with geothermal,” he asserted.
Many western U.S. states have sites suitable for the production of commercial geothermal power, and this past year saw some southern U.S. states add their first geothermal plants.
- Nevada leads the nation with more than 3,000 MegaWatts under development.
- Utah quadrupled the geothermal power it has under development.
- New Mexico, Idaho and Oregon are the next fastest growing geothermal locations.
- Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas started their first geothermal projects in 2009.
- The other seven states with projects are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington and Wyoming.
Like other renewable energy projects, geothermal brings local jobs and a cleaner energy that can permanently replace coal-fired power plants.
“Not only are we seeing more and more development and hiring in places with a long history of geothermal like Nevada and California, but for the first time these jobs are being created in the Gulf Coast, in states such as Louisiana and Mississippi,” Gawell said in a statement. “Along with a huge number of new construction jobs, geothermal power also creates many permanent positions that can never be outsourced.”
The projects underway are projected to create 29,750 permanent jobs. Gawell said that federal stimulus dollars, tax incentives and the states’ Renewable Electricity Standards (targets for clean energy)were fueling the growth in geothermal projects.
In many cases, geothermal development is strongest in states with strong RES targets. California, a leader in geothermal projects, has a RES calling for 33 percent of its power to come from renewables by 2020. Nevada’s RES is set at 25 percent and Utah’s at 20 percent.
All of the geothermal power projects that came on line in 2009 used new federal tax grant provisions that were authorized in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
For more information on geothermal power, how it works and where it is installed, see the GEA’s current use webpage.