Geothermal not sufficiently supported by U.S. energy subsidies
Hudson Ranch I geothermal power plant, March 2012, Salton Sea, California/ U.S. (source: EnergySource)
Francisco Rojas
16 Mar 2015
Geothermal is once again one the “other renewables” section of the report, having all of them received a total of less than $2 billion in support.
In statistics by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, released before the weekend, it shows that geothermal is essentially a nuisance in the energy support schemes in the U.S.
While wind and solar have been able to reap in excess of $10 billion in “quantified energy-specific subsidies and support” in 2013, geothermal – once again – is part of “other renewables” that have received a total of less than $2 billion in support.
Overall subsidies and support has dropped significantly over the period of 2010 to 2013. Interesting is the major drop in support for biofuels and conservation efforts.
Probably the most interesting fact is the very small decrease in the support for fossil fuels, like coal, natural gas and petroleum liquids as well as nuclear, that still were able to get more than $5 billion in support.
While other countries forge ahead in their efforts to prepare for a future without depending on fossil fuels, the U.S. don´t seem to go that path.
