Sleeping Geothermal Giant Stirs (Pike Research)
Rumblings in the geothermal power sector have been highlighted, in early 2013, by several important developments signaling a likely expansion in geothermal activity over the next decade. Although the levelized cost of geothermal power is competitive with fossil fuel-based plants, the drilling required to exploit resources involves significant risk and requires large capital outlays, with often speculative ROI potential.
Although resources must be managed carefully, plants do not require fuel delivery infrastructure like coal or natural gas plants since they sit directly atop active steam fields. These attributes make geothermal power particularly attractive to investors and among the most enticing of emerging renewable technologies.
Pike Research’s forthcoming Geothermal Power Project Tracker shows that conventional (hydrothermal) development has expanded from just 26 countries in 2010 to 64 at the start of 2013. With 567 named projects identified in the Tracker worldwide, the geothermal industry is looking more and more like a dormant volcano beginning to stir.
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