Economic Factors to Consider When Assessing Direct-Use Geothermal Development Viability

Abstract

Economic factors that must be considered when assessing the economic viability of a direct-use geothermal project include: provision of fuel (the geothermal resource), design and construction, operation and maintenance and the generation of revenue. Many projects can have access to several sources of revenue including: electrical generation (co-generation), co-production of minerals and sale of thermal energy. Determining the economic viability of any direct-use geothermal project must be an interactive process with a new evaluation completed at each stage of the project as more and more information becomes available.