Geothermal energy is one of the most environmentally benign sources of energy, producing little to no emissions during normal operation. Like hydropower, geothermal electricity is a relatively mature renewable technology, which is reflected by its modest 4% annual growth rate over the past 5 years.
In 2012, at least 78 countries used geothermal directly for energy. Over two-thirds of the geothermal energy for direct use was through geothermal heat pumps. 24 countries operated geothermal plants for electricity production. Total geothermal electricity capacity was 11.7 GWe at the end of 2012. Capacity was led by the U.S. with 3.4 GWe of capacity, followed by the Philippines at 1.9 GWe, Indonesia at 1.3 GWe, Mexico at 1.0 GWe, and Italy at 0.9 GWe. On a per capita basis, Iceland leads the world with 0.7 GWe of capacity, which accounted for 30% of the country’s electricity in 2012.
Geothermal power will continue to make important contributions to the world’s renewable energy portfolio, but it is unlikely to see the kinds of growth rates likely to be experienced by solar power over the next decade. Geothermal power still produces more electricity globally than solar PV, but was passed up by wind power in recent years.
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