Renewable Energy World on the outlook for geothermal 2014
Work on geothermal pipes at Olkaria, Kenya (source: flickr/ lydurs, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
19 Feb 2014
An interesting article in Renewable Energy World provides an outlook for the geothermal industry for 2014 and its main challenges, namely positioning and slowing domestic markets in several countries.
In an interesting article in Renewable Energy World yesterday, Meg Cichon, the associate editor of RenewableEnergyWorld.com provides a very good insight into the outlook for geothermal in 2014.
While naturally through the lenses of the American geothermal sector, it highlights a number of the main issues faced by the industry in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Despite international development of up to 1,000 MW coming online each year for the next 7 years, according to Karl Gawell, Executive Director of the Geothermal Energy Association in the U.S., the U.S. clearly lags.
The long-term will of government on the support for renewables and in particular geothermal is lacking. The long lead time for geothermal projects clearly remains a main obstacles particularly under that situation.
So when asking several industry representatives, the message is clear. Geothermal is misunderstood or not well known and faces several major early risk elements that make things difficult.
But the article also describes the potential in international development and the awakening of opportunities in Africa.
Many of those topics will likely be discussed at the International Geothermal Showcase organized by the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association in Washington DC, April 22, 2014.
But messages is clear all those countries with geothermal know how and a slowing or stagnant domestic market are looking international (New Zealand, Iceland, U.S., Germany …) and thereby increasing competition in the markets that are moving forward.
To see the article, see link below.
Source: Cichon, Meg, “Geothermal 2014 Outlook : As US Market slows, A Global Focus Grows.” (Renewable Energy World)
