USA, California: Outlook is More Favorable for Geothermal Energy in Golden State

California needs clean energy after sundown. Geothermal could be the answer (Los Angeles Times)

 John L. Featherstone plant at
Hudson Ranch I, Imperial County,
California (Photo by Ian Crawford)

After years of playing third fiddle to solar and wind power, geothermal energy is poised to start growing again in California. Three local energy providers have signed contracts this month for electricity from new geothermal power plants, one in Imperial County near the Salton Sea and the other in Mono County along the Eastern Sierra. The new plants will be the first geothermal facilities built in California in nearly a decade — potentially marking a long-awaited turning point for a technology that could play a critical role in the state's transition to cleaner energy sources.

Geothermal plants can generate emissions-free, renewable electricity around the clock, unlike solar panels or wind turbines. The technology has been used commercially for decades and involves tapping naturally heated underground reservoirs to create steam and turn turbines.

Despite those advantages, development has been bogged down by high costs. Building a geothermal facility can be several times more expensive than a comparably sized solar or wind farm, meaning geothermal plant operators must charge more for the electricity they generate. Geothermal accounted for 4.5% of California's electricity mix in 2018 — about one-fifth the amount supplied by solar and wind, which made up the bulk of California's renewable energy supply. Now those dynamics may be starting to shift.

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