All Entries in the "Featured" Category
To the readers of Geothermal Digest:
It is with deep regret that I must inform you that this newsletter and web site will be shut down, effective immediately. The nearly two-year old experiment has simply not produced the results necessary to keep it alive. I have truly enjoyed following the exploits of the geothermal industry at what is truly a very [...]
Helping Hand: DOE lets loose $70 million to advance geothermal and backs a $350 million loan
In Washington, D.C., DOE Secretary Steven Chu is making up to $70 million in new funding over three years for technology advancements in geothermal energy to accelerate the technology’s development. At about the same time, Ormat Technologies, Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Ormat Nevada Inc. received an offer of a conditional commitment from the DOE [...]
Native-to-Native: Hawaiian group signs on to help New Zealand geothermal development
In New Zealand, Innovations Development Group (IDG), based in Honolulu, has signed with New Zealand’s Eastland Group to develop the Te Ahi O Maui geothermal project. The deal includes the exclusive development right for 420 acres in Kawerau on a trust block belonging to the indigenous Maori people.
There is an existing commercially viable geothermal [...]
Money Guide: DOE’s NREL, Navigant co-author guidebook to geothermal power finance
In Washington D.C., the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, along with co-author Navigant, have released the Guidebook to Geothermal Power Finance. The guidebook is offered to counter changes in investment in conventional geothermal projects since the economic downturn began in 2008.
Ultimately, it is intended to facilitate further investment in conventional geothermal [...]
Hot Topic: UK geothermal start-up lands celebrity staffer
In England, Cluff Geothermal, and maybe the geothermal industry itself, has landed the hottest property, currently, on the planet. By virtue of Cluff being run by ex-boyfriend George Percy, Pippa Middleton as agreed to join the firm.
While it is unclear what, exactly, her role will be, there can be little doubt that Middleton will [...]
African Cooperation: Kenya lending geothermal expertise to neighbor Rwanda
Kenya is offering geothermal expertise to Rwanda, as well as other countries in the Rift Valley region, in an effort to find a lasting energy solution in the region. In a joint statement issued by Kenyan Energy Minister, Kiraitu Mrungi and Rwandese counter-part, Coletha Ruhamya of Rwanda, the two said that a bilateral engagement is [...]
Gang of Five: Geothermal associations band together to give the industry a global push
In Washington, DC, the members of five national geothermal trade and business associations have joined together to establish an international geothermal business coalition. The new International Geothermal Business Coalition (IGBC) will represent the leading companies involved in developing geothermal resources to meet energy needs across the world.
The new group is founded by the European Geothermal [...]
Hot Water: Financial woes hit Raser, Shoshone Renaissance
In Utah and Idaho, the news is bleak. Raser Technologies, Inc. has announced that it and all of its wholly-owned subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Meanwhile, Riverside Public Utilities says it will not meet its very ambitious [...]
Three year plan: China to expand use of geothermal energy
In China, Earth Day brought an announcement from the Ministry of Land and Resources that the country will generate 1.7% of its total energy in 2015 from geothermal sources. A report in CRIEnglish says that the central government will allocate over $25 million to look into shallow-lying resources in 29 provincial capital cities.
This year [...]
Cautionary Tale: Gas industry fracking rush will haunt EGS
Forget seismic events, the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is wrapped up in story after story of gas and chemical contamination of wells. And the geothermal industry had better be paying attention. Playing the role of the ugly stepsister, geothermal will likely suffer the consequences when lawmakers see the light.
It will not matter that [...]
