Norway:

Norway Invests In Deep Geothermal Energy
(Eurasia Review)

The Research Council of Norway has granted NOK 24 million to the four-year project NEXT-Drill, in which scientists and industry will develop the technology and tools needed to produce geothermal heat from the earth.

Geothermal heat is available all over the world, and is a clean, stable, inexhaustible, and “weather-proof” source of energy. At Norway’s latitudes, the ground temperature rises by about 20 degrees centigrade per kilometre into the crust. Power from this source of energy could play a significant role in the global green energy mix, the group said.

Iceland:

Geothermal Power Station Heats Up Reykjavík
( IceNews )

At the end of 2010 Reykjavík Energy opened its new hot water pumping station from the Hellisheið geothermal power station. The new plant makes the city’s water supply more reliable and one tenth of last year’s hot water came from Hellisheiði.

Reykjavík Energy provided 74.7 million tonnes of hot water to its customers in the Icelandic capital and neighbouring towns last year; which is equivalent to 2,400 litres per second all year round.

Global:

Analyzing Geothermal Energy - Market Research Report

The race for alternative energy sources has begun in the right earnest as communities and governments realize the unsustainable nature of present day energy production and consumption practices; an important event in this race has been the recognition and harnessing of Geothermal Energy.

USA, Hawai'i:

Hawaii Electric Light Co. customers to save under new geothermal contract
(Pacific Business News)

Hawaii regulators have approved a new agreement between Hawaii Electric Light Co. and Puna Geothermal Ventures that will help residential customers on the Big Island save about 70 cents on their monthly electric bills.

USA:

Renewable Sources Continue Explosive Growth
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com)

Renewables now provide 12% of domestic energy production, 14% more than 2010; and renewable electrical output increased 25%, which contributes to 13% of U.S. power.

According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), with data through September 30, 2011, renewable energy sources continue to expand rapidly while substantially outpacing the growth rates of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

For the first nine months of 2011, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, wind) provided 11.95% of domestic U.S. energy production. That compares to 10.85% for the same period in 2010 and 10.33% in 2009. By comparison, nuclear power provided just 10.62% of the nation's energy production in the first three quarters of 2011 -- i.e., 11.10% less than renewables.

USA, Hawai'i:

Hawai'i Geothermal Working Group presents findings

The Geothermal Working Group presented their final draft of the Geothermal Working Group Report Wednesday at Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi’s office.

The report, sponsored by the County of Hawaii, evaluated the use of geothermal energy as a primary source of electricity for the Big Island. The report includes an analysis of technical data and expert testimony providing convincing rationale to develop local renewable energy plants and transition away from the county’s dependence on petroleum-fueled generators for baseload electricity. The report, which is currently being circulated within Hawaii’s State Legislation and was developed as research to help support Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative goals.

Global:

 Geothermal Power: An Underdog Poised for a Long-term Win
(greentechnologyinvestments.com)

Reykjanes Geothermal Power Plant, Iceland.
Saeid Jalilinasrabady,

A Great Investment Opportunity

The geothermal energy industry offers a unique opportunity to investors. As one of the largest and cleanest sources of energy on the planet, geothermal is here to stay, and new technologies are only making exploration and development more efficient. As a result, many solar and wind investors may want to consider diversifying into companies like Nevada Geothermal Power, Inc.

USA, Nevada:

U.S. Forest Service Seeks Geothermal Project Input

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest 
(Courtesy publiclands.org)

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest recently completed a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for geothermal leasing on around 615,230 acres on the Bridgeport, Austin, Tonopah, and Ely Ranger Districts.

The goal of this proposal is to identify appropriate sources for clean and renewable energy while minimizing impacts to National Forest lands.

USA, Oregon:

Sustainability Efforts In Education Get Recognition In Oregon - with the help of Geothermal Energy

Oregon Institute of Technology (Courtesy Justmeans.) 

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has awarded the Oregon Institute of Technology a STARS Bronze rating in recognition of the university's sustainability actions and achievements.

USA, Hawai'i:

Geothermal Working Group- Final Report unveiled by the County of Hawai‘i

The Geothermal Working Group, with the support of Hawai`i County Mayor Billy Kenoi, will present the final draft of the Geothermal Working Group Report on Wednesday, January 4, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. The press conference will be held at the County building on the Mayor’s lanai at 25 Aupuni St., second floor.

USA:

Geothermal Energy Finance and Development Forum 2012

Wednesday, January 18th, Marriott Marquis, San Francisco, California.

Register as a GRC member online and receive a $200 discount.

USA:

National Geothermal Heat Pump Market Analysis Seeks Industry Participation

The GHPsRUS Project is a three-year effort to measure the costs and benefits of nationwide geothermal heat pump (GHP) deployment.

USA:

Obama has Nearly Quadrupled Renewable Energy on Public Lands (CleanTechnica)

These include 16 solar projects, 4 wind farms and 7 geothermal plants.

With two years of the Obama administration, almost four times as much clean energy has been put on the grid on public lands as in all the previous 40 years.

All the renewable energy ever permitted on public lands totaled 1,800 MW by the end of 2008. In the last two years, the Department of the Interior has approved 6,600 MW of new projects.


President Obama and Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar

Kenya:

African Development Bank fund Menengai geo-thermal project

Kenya’s State-owned Geothermal Development Company (GDC) has received concessionary loans worth 124 million U.S. dollars to tap the country’s geothermal resource at Menengai.

Hela Cheikhrouhou, African Development Bank’s (AfDB) director for energy, environment and climate change department, said in a statement on Friday that this is the first project under the climate investment funds dedicated to a low-income African country to be approved by a multilateral development bank.

USA, Nevada:

U.S. Geothermal Announces Nevada PUC Approval of 19.9 Megawatt PPA for San Emidio

U.S. Geothermal Inc. today announced that the Nevada Public Utility Commission has approved a 19.9 megawatt amended and restated power purchase agreement ("PPA") with its wholly owned subsidiary, USG Nevada LLC, for the San Emidio Project located in Washoe County, Nevada.

Global:

Happy New Year!

Nevada:

Nevada Welcomes First Domestic Solar-Geothermal Energy Facility

(ecomagination.com)

The Stillwater power station in Churchill County, about 80 miles east of Reno, will add a 24-MW array of solar photovoltaic panels (peak capacity) to an existing 27-MW geothermal power plant, making it the first of its kind in the U.S.

Global:

The latest newsletter from the Geothermal Resources Council

In this issue:

Get Your Daily News From The GRC!
Introducing Global Geothermal News, a single source for news and events for the world-wide geothermal community.

2012 GRC Advertising Rates Are Now Available!
For the GRC Bulletin and the GRC Roster & Registry

USA:

Top three companies in the Independent Power Producers industry with the highest operating margin includes two geothermal energy producers
(Financial News Network Online)

Below is listed the three companies in the Independent Power Producers industry with the highest operating margin. A healthy operating margin is required for a company to pay for its fixed costs and generate cash.

1. Ormat Technologies is highest with an operating margin of 21.8%.
2. AES is next with an operating margin of 21.2%.
3. Calpine with an operating margin of 18.0%.

Australia, Argentina:

Earth Heat Resources bucking the trend with funding for Argentina geothermal project (Proactiveinvestors.com.au)

Earth Heat Resources is moving closer to obtaining project funding for its Copahue Geothermal power project in Argentina.

USA, Nevada:

Clean Energy in 2012: Geothermal progression (Reno Gazette-Journal)


It was good to be green for Northern Nevada in 2011.

Despite high unemployment and challenges in the real estate market, the renewables sector posted several positive milestones in the last year.

Geothermal had an especially good showing. The University of Nevada, Reno snagged the first-ever National Geothermal Academy program in the country, bringing people from around the world to UNR this summer.

USA:

Geothermal Power Year In Review: Heat Of The Earth Still Locked Up (Re-posted from AOL Energy)

Workers drill near a geothermal energy plant to tap deep underground heat from the southern San Andreas Fault rift zone near the Salton Sea on July 6 near Calipatria, California. (Getty Images)

What if all the energy we needed was stored underneath the ground we walk on every day?

USA:

Top 10 clean energy stories of 2011

Cross-posted from Climate Progress. 

A review of clean energy stories from the year by the Center for American Progress Action Fund includes the following related to the geothermal industry:

Clean Energy Stunner: Renewable Power Tops Fossil Fuels for First Time

Google Map Reveals Massive Geothermal Potential Nationwide, “Effectively an Unlimited Supply” Says Chu  

Map of Geothermal Resources from SMU

Ethiopia:

Ethiopian 70 Mw Aluto Lango Project To Cost $270 Million

[From  thinkgeoenergy.com] The Aluto Lango project in Ethiopia, an extension of an existing geothermal power plant from 7.3 MW to 70 MW is expected to cost about $270 million.

Aluto Lango Geothermal Power Plant (Coutesy BGR.Bund.De)

USA, Colorado:

Geologists issue a report providing new data about the Poncha Hot Springs geothermal resource

Fred Henderson of Hendco Services and Paul Morgan of Colorado Geological Survey recently completed a study and issued a report providing new data about the Poncha Hot Springs geothermal resource.

Scientific observations suggest existence of a deep, high-temperature reservoir capable of producing electricity in significant amounts.

USA, California:

Imperial Valley’s Unique Combination of Solar and Geothermal Resources Make it a Hotbed of Renewable Energy Activity, and Controversy

The Salton Sea (Courtesy cleantechnica.com)

Stretching 50 miles from southeastern California’s Salton Sea across the border with Mexico to the Gulf of California, the Imperial Valley is an area of unique desert beauty, one that lies almost entirely below sea level. The area is also somewhat rare in its combination of geothermal and solar energy resources.

USA, Oregon:

Newberry EGS Demonstration project one step closer to approval

The Newberry EGS Demonstration project got one step closer to approval December 21. The government has issued its environmental assessment and now the public has a month to comment.

United States Department of The Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - Environmental Assessment December 2011

Newberry Volcano Caldera, Oregon.

The federal environmental assessment predicts there will be no impact on local groundwater quality or quantity from the project.

Nicaragua:

Geothermal Energy in Nicaragua

Nicaragua supports the development of renewable energies, especially wind power with wind turbines of Suzlon and Vestas, but also photovoltaic solar power and geothermal energy.



Nicaragua Resource Area Locations (Courtesy Ram Power)

Nicaragua will include 36 MW of geothermal energy to the national grid later this month. The 36 megawatts are part of the 72 megawatt geothermal energy field generated by the San Jacinto-Tizate, located in the municipality of Telica, province of León and the Pacific volcanic chain of Nicaragua.

Canada:

Santa’s workshop benefits from geothermal activity

Due to the shifting ice flows at the North Pole, rumor has it that Santa actually lives a little further south on Ellesmere Island in the Quttinirpaaq National Park, Canada. The park is the most northerly extent of Canada. In Inuktitut, Quttinirpaaq means “top of the world.”

Quttinirpaaq National Park Reserve in 1988 (Courtesy Corel Professional Photos).

The park is dominated by rock, ice and mountains. Along the park’s Arctic Ocean coastline, a fjord leads to a secret valley that is heated by geothermal activity. In this valley, according to unconfirmed reports, sits Santa’s secret village with Mrs. Claus and the thousands of elves hard at work making toys.

Kenya:

KenGen starts new round of steam wells’ drilling

A manager at the Kipevu III power plant, Mr Robert Brudenell, oversees operations. KenGen is boosting geothermal production, which despite being capital intensive, is cited as the cheapest and most sustainable energy option for Kenya. Laban Walloga (courtesy businessdailyafrica.com).

The Kenya Electricity Generating company has started the second phase of drilling steam wells at Olkaria that will propel geothermal energy as the main source of power as erratic weather makes hydro-generation increasingly unreliable.

KenGen is aiming to raise geothermal production from 150 megawatts or 14.2 per cent of total supply to 430 megawatts by 2014, with another 540 megawatts being added four years later. That would reduce dependence on hydro -power which currently feeds 72 per cent of energy to the national grid.

Indonesia, Bali:

Bali’s Governor Pulls Plug on Bedugul Geothermal Project

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika officially recommended on Tuesday that a geothermal energy project in Bedugul be scrapped, opting for an alternative power source.

Pastika said exploration for the geothermal project should cease in favor of the Bali Crossing project, in which Bali would get power from Java via an aerial cable.

USA, Utah:

Ormat signs EPC contract with Cyrq Energy unit

Ormat Nevada has signed a $21.4m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract and a credit agreement with Thermo No. 1 BE-01, a unit of Cyrq Energy, to build an Ormat Energy Converter at Thermo I's existing geothermal project in Utah, US.

USA:

Office of Indian Energy Webcast: Overview of Geothermal Energy Development

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs invites you to participate in an interactive webcast designed specifically for Tribes and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) staff to provide information on developing geothermal resources on tribal lands.

USA:

U.S. Geothermal Industry Plans 5,745 MW, Billions in Investments

The U.S. geothermal industry will start 2012 with billions in planned investments, according to Leslie Blodgett of the Geothermal Energy Association.

Writing for Renewable Energy World, Blodgett says U.S. capacity reached 3,102 MW by early 2011, and up to 5,745 MW is now in development.

Iceland:

Up to 40 Geothermal Holes Planned in North Iceland

In a proposal on the land-use plan for the power plant Þeistareykjavirkjun in northeast Iceland, up to 40 geothermal boreholes are assumed. The proposal has been advertised at the district council of Þingeyjarsveit.

Courtesy icelandreview.com

USA:

Report: Tracking Geothermal Energy across the USA

In August 2011, a cumulative 2,383 MW of geothermal energy capacity across the USA generated 1,354 GWh of electricity. 1 MW of capacity has been added year to date and electricity generation from geothermal energy sources is 4.59% higher than the same period the previous year. Geothermal energy now accounts for 0.23% of total capacity across the USA and has accounted for 0.01% of all added capacity year to date.

USA, Nevada:

Ormat Signs Termination Agreement for PPA With NV Energy for Carson Lake Project

Ormat Technologies, Inc. announced yesterday that it has signed a termination agreement with respect to the power purchase agreement (PPA) and joint operating agreement with NV Energy for the Carson Lake geothermal project in Churchill County, Nevada.

USA, California:

Ormat signs 20-year agreement with IID for 10 megawatts of solar energy

A local geothermal company is set to branch out, selling solar power from its Heber-area facility to the Imperial Irrigation District.

The Heber complex (Courtesy of Ormat)

Ormat Technologies Inc. announced Wednesday that it has signed a power purchase agreement with IID for 10 megawatts of solar photovoltaic energy, according to a press release from the company. The project, Ormat’s first independent photovoltaic project in the U.S., will be located near the Heber geothermal complex.

Kenya:

Kengen launches 540MW geothermal power plant

The Ol Karia geothermal plant

Kenya Electricity Generating Company has launched a 540 megawatt geothermal power plant in bid to increase electricity generation in the country.

Italy:

Geothermal energy, a national opportunity

The geothermal energy development outlook is favourable as regards Italy and Europe. The latter was confirmed by the 2011 Report on the European geothermal market, presented at the EGEC (European Geothermal Energy Council) Conference that was recently held in Milan.

USA, Nevada:

Bureau of Reclamation Announces Decision on Salt Wells Geothermal

The US Bureau of Reclamation has signed a Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the impacts of issuing a 20-year license authorizing a 22 mile overhead 230kV electric transmission line and a 2.5 mile buried fiber optic line as part of the Salt Wells Geothermal Project.

Nicaragua:

Ram Power, Corp. Announces Synchronization of the Phase I Expansion at San Jacinto-Tizate

Ram Power has announced that the Phase I expansion at San Jacinto-Tizate has been successfully synchronized to the Nicaraguan national integrated electrical grid. The Company expects commercial operation of the Phase I expansion to begin in the near future.

USA, Colorado:

BLM February lease-sale includes geothermal parcels

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will offer two parcels near Waunita Hot Springs in Gunnison County for geothermal energy development during its quarterly lease auction, Feb. 9 at 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, Colorado, USA.

USA, California:

Ormat Starts Solar Project in U.S. With Agreement to Sell Power

Ormat Technologies Inc. said it signed a power purchase agreement allowing it to sell electricity from a 10-megawatt solar facility in California, its first photovoltaic project in the U.S.

East Africa:

New facility brings clean and reliable energy to Eastern Africa

A new Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility will help attract investment for the construction of geothermal power plants in Eastern Africa by partially offsetting the high financial risk prompted by unsuccessful exploratory drilling. A grant totalling €50 million has been made available for this purpose. The signing ceremony took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 13 December 2011.

USA, Nevada:

U.S. Geothermal Announces Mechanical Completion of New San Emidio Power Plant

U.S. Geothermal Inc.), has announced that it has been informed by engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, SAIC Constructors LLC, that mechanical completion has been achieved on a new power plant at Phase I of its San Emidio project, located in Washoe County, Nevada.

Peru:

Mustang Geothermal to Start Drill Program in Peru

Mustang has announced that it plans to start a new exploration program consisting of 200 shallow temperature gradient drill holes on the Company's geothermal concessions in Peru.

USA:

Geothermal Energy Finance and Development Forum 2012

Wednesday, January 18th, Marriott Marquis, San Francisco, California

Register as a GRC member online and receive a $200 discount.

USA, Hawaii:

Hawaii a Laboratory for Clean Energy

If you wanted to create a laboratory for clean energy, you might pick these attributes: an isolated market; one that’s almost wholly dependent on fossil fuels; and it has abundant wind and sun. One such lab already exists. It’s called Hawaii.

Saipan:

Saipan seeks help from Murkowski on $100M interest-free loan to help geothermal exploration

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said he is seeking the help of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to secure a $100 million interest-free loan from the U.S. Department of Energy in line with the administration's focus on geothermal energy production.

The government has yet to award a contract to a firm that will investigate the viability of tapping geothermal power on Saipan.