OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net note: Ten of the top 15 countries tapping into the Earth's heat to produceelectricity are developing nations, many of which have plans to greatlyexpand their use of this reliable, low-cost energy source over thecoming years.

• In the first half of 2008, 24 countries worldwide were already harnessing heat from the Earth to generate enough electricity to sustain 60 million people -- roughly the population of the United Kingdom. By 2010, there could be as many as 46 countries using this power source, generating as much energy as 27 coal-fired power plants.

• "The geothermal development potential of the Great Rift Valley in Africa is enormous," writes the Earth Policy Institute. © applez (flickr)The rising cost of oil coupled with increasing concerns about climate change is driving global investment in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power and biofuels, at breakneck speed. What's more, this trend is not exclusive to rich nations, says UN Environment Program Executive Director Achim Steiner: "Close to 10 percent of investments are in China with around a fifth in total in the developing world."

• In yesterday's OneWorld.net Daily Headlines [link | subscribe | RSS], Part I of this story examined the global potential for geothermal energy generation, how it works, and how the United States and countries in Europe are already taking advantage of it.

World Geothermal Power Generation Nearing Eruption

From: Earth Policy Institute

Jonathan G. Dorn

August 19, 2008

Ten of the top 15 countries producing geothermal electricity are in the developing world. The Philippines, which generates 23 percent of its electricity from geothermal energy, is the world's second biggest producer behind the United States. The Philippines aims to increase its installed geothermal capacity by 2013 by more than 60 percent, to 3,130 megawatts. Indonesia, the world's third largest producer, has even bigger plans, calling for 6,870 megawatts of new geothermal capacity to be developed over the next 10 years-equal to nearly 30 percent of its current electricity-generating capacity from all sources. Pertamina, the Indonesian state petroleum company, anticipates building most of this new capacity-adding its name to the list of conventional energy companies that are beginning to diversify into the renewable energy market.

The geothermal development potential of the Great Rift Valley in Africa is enormous. Kenya is the frontrunner in the effort to tap this potential. In late June 2008, President Mwai Kibaki announced a plan to install some 1,700 megawatts of new geothermal capacity within 10 years-13 times greater than the current capacity and one-and-a-half times greater than the country's total electricity generating capacity from all sources. Djibouti, aided by Reykjavik Energy Invest's commitment to provide $150 million for geothermal energy projects in Africa, aims to tap the earth's heat to produce nearly all of its electricity within the next few years. Further stimulating development is the African Rift Geothermal Development Facility (ARGeo), an international organization partly funded by the World Bank that seeks to increase the use of geothermal energy in the Great Rift Valley by protecting investors from losses during early stages of development.

Industry, which accounts for more than 30 percent of world energy consumption, is also starting to turn to reliable, low-cost geothermal energy. In Papua New Guinea, a 56-megawatt geothermal power station owned by Lihir Gold Limited, a leading global gold company, meets 75 percent of corporate power demand at a notably lower cost than oil-fired power generation. In Iceland, five geothermal power plants planned near Reykjavik, which are slated to have a total capacity of 225 megawatts when completed in 2012, will provide electricity to new aluminum refineries.

Despite development potential measured in the hundreds of thousands of megawatts, tapping this renewable source of power is still in its infancy. But as more and more national leaders begin to see renewable energy as a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative to price-volatile, carbon-intensive fossil fuels, geothermal power generation is expected to move rapidly from marginal to mainstream.

To read more about geothermal power and other renewable energy sources, visit the Earth Policy Institute.