Page 79 - North American Clean Energy January February 2015

geothermal energy

One Step

Forward & One

Step Back

The attempted

growth of

geothermal power

By Michelle Froese

AS A BASELOAD, RENEWABLE POWER PROVIDER, one would think geothermal energy CanGEA maintains that geothermal power could supply the 1,100 MW of capacity and
would have quite the pull. Once fully engineered and established, a geothermal power 5,100 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/yr) of energy that the proposed Site C dam ofers.

plant can generate reliable power around the clock with minimal costs. It also ills the However “critically close” the geothermal option might have been, it wasn’t close enough.
intermittency gaps other renewables face, such as with wind or solar power. However, no he Site C dam has now oicially been approved for hydro-electric development.
new geothermal power plants were put online in the United States in 2014. And Canada Along with the high upfront costs of geothermal energy, there seems to be limited
has yet to see any commercial power plants whatsoever, which leads to the question: why government support in Canada. he GEA also came to a similar conclusion in a US release,

isn’t geothermal energy gaining more popularity in North America?
stating: “State policies recognize the value of solar power and natural gas, but do little
Despite a lack of new added capacity in the United States this past year, it is worth to recognize geothermal power’s attributes.” hey believe the lack of new geothermal
noting that the US still remains in the top three in terms of countries with installed development last year was, in part, due to the lapsing of federal production tax credit for
geothermal power capacity (alongside the Philippines and Indonesia). California provides new projects, as well as lowered demand across the market.

nearly 80% of the 3,440 megawatts (MW) of US geothermal capacity, and another 16% is On a more positive note, geothermal energy has seen steady expansion on a global
found in Nevada.
front, with an increase in online capacity—for the third year in a row—of between four
As the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) recently pointed out in a release, entitled and ive percent in 2014. According to the GEA, the world market reached upwards of
“Geothermal Energy in 2014: Emerging Economies Power Up,” future development still 12.7 gigawatts (GW) of geothermal power operational throughout 24 countries, relecting

remains a popular topic, especially in western states. he US Geological Survey estimates about 700 MW of combined added growth. At the end of 2014, there was also 11.7 GW
that there are an additional 500 MW of discovered geothermal power resources in Oregon, of capacity additions in development and 1.8 GW of power under construction in 80
for example, and 1800 MW of undiscovered resources. he latest industry survey also countries.
identiied 19 projects under development in the state, with estimated subsurface resources Clearly, geothermal energy is growing, even if more slowly in North America. On a

of 340 MW, which developers expect could provide 60 MW of additional power in Oregon smaller scale, the Energy Department did announce funds near the end of 2014, though
within the next few years (if appropriate contracts are secured*).
targeted to small businesses in two geothermal subtopics: innovations to develop under-
In California, legislation AB 2363 was just passed in 2014, which directs the state’s utilized markets; and a technology transfer opportunity for co-produced geothermal
Public Utilities Commission to improve its renewable power valuation process. According resources.

to the GEA, this could help the geothermal pull: “he state legislature came critically
Based on information on the Energy Department’s website (www.energy.gov), the irst of
close to passing legislation supporting the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy these categories focuses on innovative products or technologies that develop new markets
Initiative that would promote geothermal energy to help address looming regional for geothermal energy—a promising proposal. he Geothermal Technologies Oice will
environmental problems” (Read more at http://geo-energy.org/pressReleases/2014/2014_ fund electricity production or direct-use applications, excluding ground source heat

Dec_FYEnd.aspx)
pumps. he second subtopic ofers a technology transfer grant that focuses on developing a
Seems “critically close” is the term geothermal energy has been facing in North America product that uses electromagnetic manipulation of magnetizable oil to improve current oil/
of late. Certainly, there is positive discussion and, in some places, even advantageous gas/water separation technologies.

legislation, but little action. Even as a top three contender, the US’s capacity for As geothermal energy becomes more popular globally, and even on a smaller scale via
geothermal output still makes up just less than one percent of the country’s energy pie.
residential and commercial ground pumps, it can hopefully springboard on a larger scale in
And Canada doesn’t even make it on the list, despite being home to several leading North America.
geothermal power developers and ofering some prime geothermal ground. A 2010 study As Prometheus once said: “Big things have small beginnings.”

of Canada’s geothermal potential found the best locations were in British Columbia,
Alberta, and Saskatchewan. But, accordingly, even Ontario could produce geothermal * Check out “10 Facts About Geothermal Energy in Oregon” at:
power if someone dug deep enough. he study concluded that the potential for geothermal http://domesticfuel.com/2014/09/19/10-facts-about-geothermal-energy-in-oregon
resources in Canada was signiicant.

Nevertheless, geothermal can be a tough sell when a country already has cheap power ** Read the “Top 5 Reasons Why Geothermal Power is Nowhere in Canada,” by Raphael Lopoukhine, to
sources**. BC for instance, which was reported as one of the best places for geothermal learn more at: www.desmog.ca/2014/02/26/top-5-reasons-why-geothermal-power-nowhere-canada
development, already has an abundance of hydropower. he province has even been
moving ahead with plans to develop a new hydro-electric station, Site C dam on the Peace Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) | http://geo-energy.org

River, which according to a presentation made by the Geothermal Energy Association
(CanGEA), is at a cost point where geothermal is “at par or better.”
Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) | www.cangea.ca

North American Clean Energy 79