While there is no formal geothermal roadmap that has been produced, the U.S. continues to produce more geothermal electricity than any other country, comprising approximately 30% of the world’s total production. In raw numbers, since August 2008 the U.S. has approximately 3,000MW of geothermal electricity connected to the grid.
There are nearly 4,000MW of new geothermal power plants under development in the U.S.,[1] with 103 projects in the early stages of development.
There are 13 states with projects either currently under consideration or in development phases. These states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Of these 13 geothermal energy producing states, California accounts for 85% (or 2,555MW) of the U.S.’s total installed geothermal capacity, followed by Nevada with 11% (or 318MW) installed geothermal capacity. Hawaii and Utah have 35MW and 36MW installed capacity, respectively. Idaho and New Mexico are the new players in the U.S. geothermal industry, with both Oregon and Wyoming expected to enter the industry shortly.
Between confirmed and unconfirmed projects, there are a total of 103 developing projects.[2] Direct applications of geothermal energy occur today in 26 U.S. states, which is almost the same number of states producing coal in our country. Geothermal heat pump installations are growing at an annual rate of 15%, with 600,000+ units installed by the end of 2005, with an additional 50,000 to 60,000 new units are being installed every year since.[3]
The selection of Steven Chu, a well-known advocate of renewable energy, as Secretary of Energy, will likely impact the U.S. geothermal industry in a positive manner.[4]
Research by Eva Patry
