Societal Acceptance of Geothermal Energy Technology in Australia: Media Portrayals and Public Perceptions

Abstract

Geothermal energy technology is in an early stage of research and development in Australia and it is unclear how the public are likely to respond to deployment or future investment on this technology in Australia. In order to investigate the likely societal acceptance of geothermal energy technology in Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has undertaken an analysis of news articles about geothermal energy technology published in Australia, along with focus group research, which was conducted face-to-face and online, Australia wide. In combination, this research suggests that geothermal energy technology is currently relatively well received by the Australian media and public. The media analysis results showed that the reported benefits and risks of geothermal energy are consistent with a technology in its early stage of development with the technology’s economic feasibility and technical uncertainties the most commonly cited risks. Similarly, the most cited benefits of geothermal energy technology in the media included geothermal being a renewable energy with baseload capacity. However, as geothermal technology progresses through to large-scale demonstrations, there is the potential for both public perceptions and media reporting of the technology to change. Acknowledging this potential for change in media reporting and public opinion of geothermal energy technology will be critical to the industry maintaining effective communication strategies.