USA:

Geothermal Resources Used to Produce Renewable Electricity in Western States (EIA)

EIA projects that geothermal electricity generation could more than quadruple between 2012 and 2040

Geothermal energy has been a small, but consistent, source of electricity in the United States since 1971, providing 0.4% of total U.S. generation in 2013. California is the site of most U.S. geothermal capacity, but since 2001 new geothermal capacity additions have increasingly been located in other western states as most of the low-cost resources in California have already been developed.

Unlike conventional thermal power plants, which burn fuel (typically fossil fuels) to heat water and generate steam to drive turbines, electricity is generated from conventional geothermal resources by tapping underground reservoirs of hot water. The heat from the steam or hot water is then used to generate electricity in much the same way as in other steam turbine power generators. This process requires plants to be able to access high-temperature fluids from deep, naturally permeable rock formations. These resources are most commonly found in the western United States.

Geothermal plants are virtually emissions free, and unlike renewable sources such as wind and solar, they provide an available, dispatchable source of baseload power that is able to operate at a relatively high capacity factor. EIA projects that geothermal electricity generation could more than quadruple between 2012 and 2040 (increasing to over 67,000 GWh), helping California and other states with renewable portfolio standards satisfy their mandated renewable generation requirements.

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