The Future of Geothermal Energy as a Major Global Energy Supplier

Abstract

Recent international focus on the value of increasing the supply of indigenous, renewable energy underscores the need for re-evaluating all alternatives, particularly those that are large and well-distributed on a national or global basis, to expand and diversify the portfolio of options we should be vigorously pursuing. One such option that is often ignored in national assessments is geothermal energy from both conventional hydrothermal and enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS). Although geothermal energy is used for both electric and non-electric applications worldwide from conventional hydrothermal resources, these natural resources are limited in extent and their eventual impact on a global scale will be restricted to relatively few locations that have all the ingredients needed for successful operation