All Entries in the "Featured" Category
The Ugly Stepchild: Geothermal looking for solar-like support down under
In Australia, the chairman of the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) told the Australian Geothermal Energy Conference, held in Adelaide this past week, that Australia can be a world geothermal leader, but only if the nation makes further long-term commitment to building the geothermal energy industry.
Terry Kallis said the geothermal industry needed a price on [...]
Geothermal New England: Researchers at UMass Amherst and in Connecticut to examine regional granite
In Massachusetts, geologists at the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts and with the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts will be tapping a $441,062 Department of Energy grant to look at granite formations under New England for geothermal potential.
The researchers, using grant money routed through the American Association of State Geologists, will conduct the [...]
Rock the Vote: Elections are a mixed blessing for geothermal energy
In California, voters rejected Prop 23, which would have suspended the state’s historical climate law. Across the country, voters chose to put the Republican Party back in charge of the House of Representatives, which would lead one to believe that renewable energy policy will be challenged.
Shelley DuBois, writing for CNN money, states, “Renewable [...]
Kenyan Energy World: 2 GW plan lacks credit and is behind schedule, but drilling goes on
In Kenya, sitting on a wealth of geothermal energy in the Rift Valley, the country’s move to tap the power source seems to be a roller coaster ride of (successful) drilling and a good deal of stumbling around waiting for actual power production.
State-owned Geothermal Development Co. (GDC), formed in 2009 to explore for geothermal [...]
Jobs in Geothermal: New development is creating them in the U.S. while Kenya already lacks engineers
In California, Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), Executive Director Karl Gawell announced the findings of new industry reports that show the geothermal industry will add thousands of jobs as dozens of new clean geothermal power plants come online or enter advanced stages of development. He made the announcement at a press preview for the 2010 Geothermal [...]
Furthering the Cause: International GT meetings lead to U.S., Iceland agreement
In Iceland, punctuating a week of international meetings on geothermal energy held October 3-9 in Reykjavik, the United States and Iceland signed a bilateral agreement aimed at increasing the world’s understanding of advanced geothermal technologies and accelerating their deployment.
During the same time frame, the International Partnership for Geothermal Technology (IPGT) also hosted meetings in [...]
Five Miles to Pay Dirt: West Virginia holds significant GT resource down there
In West Virginia, a study out of Southern Methodist University in Dallas found a large area in the eastern part of the state to have elevated heat flow and upper crustal temperatures, at least when compared to the rest of the eastern U.S. The high heat flow has been recognized based on interpretation of bottom-hole [...]
Lucky Sevens: Aussie hand out three $7 million GT exploration grants
In Australia, towards the end of 2009, Martin Ferguson, Minister for Resources and Energy, stated that five geothermal energy projects would receive Australian Government funding of $35 million, from round two of the $50 million Geothermal Drilling Program. The first three have been announced – Greenearth Energy, Torrens Energy and Green Rock Energy Limited. [...]
World View: Iceland prods UN on GT adoption; and the industry adds three new players
In New York, United Nations Member States heard the message from Iceland’s Foreign Minister: Geothermal energy could answer a substantial part of the energy demands of many poorer countries. Össur Skarphédinsson added that it was time to consider initiatives to transfer expertise and financing to those nations in need.
And further, in what is [...]
Mo Money: DOE finds two sources for another $22 M for GT development
In Washington, DC, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced two sets of funding initiatives with an impact on the geothermal industry. The first directs a full $20 million to seven projects that “research, develop and demonstrate cutting-edge geothermal technologies”.
The second turns out to be a $1.9 million funding from DOE’s Small Business Phase III Xlerator [...]
