Geothermal Digest » Opinion

Opinion: Green energy needs government stimulus to grow

admin — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 19:45:04 +0000

In an interview with money.canoe.ca, Peter Marks, chairman, president and chief executive of Robert Bosch North America said “Green energy has the potential to slash household power bills in the longer term, though government support will be needed to get the technology off the ground. Any new technology before it reaches an economy of scale will somewhat be expensive for the end consumer to make the business case and therefore in order to get this technology to an economy of scale for the marketplace there needs to some stimulus from government.”

Opinion: Hawaiian geothermal energy: A gift from the gods?

admin — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:22:31 +0000

Writing for TriplePundit.com, Tia Ferguson says, “Whether the seemingly conflicting people and planet considerations of energy sustainability in Hawaii can be reconciled or better aligned is entirely up to determination by the native Hawaiian community. Perhaps reframing the employment of geothermal power production as a way to celebrate and honor the fire goddess is one such way to do so. But as such and until then, it would be blatantly unsustainable – if not unethical – for the state to sanction a culturally violating activity as a means of achieving its goals of energy independence.”

Opinion: Clean power for China is the opportunity of a lifetime

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 20:22:44 +0000

Writing for fastcompany.com, Glenn Croston says “China needs energy, but it needs to be clean. There are solutions for China’s challenges, and U.S. entrepreneurs may find the opportunity of a lifetime in providing solutions for these urgent problems. China is investing billions of dollars in high-speed rail, solar power, and wind. Innovative energy solutions like geothermal heat pumps that are being invented here in the U.S. by companies like the Advanced Energy Group (AEG) in Michigan should find eager customers in China. Geothermal heat exchangers don’t seem to get as much attention as other energy resources like wind or solar, but their potential remains enormous.”

Opinion: Investor-friendly pricing ‘crucial’ to renewable energy development

admin — Sun, 22 May 2011 16:43:30 +0000

In Indonesia, Rangga D. Fadillah, writing for the Jakarta Post, quotes the chairman of the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society (METI), Hilmi Panigoro, who Friday that it required strong commitment from the government and consistent regulations to boost the utilization of renewable and alternative energy in Indonesia. “In terms of policies to develop renewable and alternative energy in the country, we can adopt many of the best practices from other countries that are relevant to the needs of our country,” he told the last plenary session of the Indonesian Petroleum Association (IPA) 35th Annual Convention and Conference at the Jakarta Convention Center.

Opinion: Oil money needed for geothermal projects

admin — Sun, 15 May 2011 20:20:38 +0000

Writing for Renewable Energy World, Dana Blankenhorn says “Despite America’s leadership in geothermal the industry remains in the ‘and’ category. As in, ’solar, wind, tidal, biofuels AND geothermal.’ It’s an afterthought. Why are geothermal companies having to organize politically to gain crumbs from the capital table? The answer is pretty obvious, but no one seems willing to state it plainly. The oil industry is holding back.”

Opinion : U.S. military can transform the geothermal industry

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:14:19 +0000

Writing for the Journal of Commerce, Korky Koroluk asks, “Can a single government department kick-start a whole new industry? Usually, no. But when the government and the department are big enough — think the U.S. Defense Department — it’s a distinct possibility. … they’ve (the DOD) got another objective in their sights: entire military bases built to net zero energy standards — standards that ensure that every base generates at least as much energy as it uses. And by tapping into geothermal resources, the aim ultimately is to make the entire defense department not a consumer, but a net supplier of energy to the U.S. electricity grid.”

Opinion: Alaska’s Parnell turns renewable projects into hostages

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:25:18 +0000

Writing for the Alaska Daily News, Shannyn Moore said “When will the budget drop through the ice? A deep freeze set in on the Senate when Gov. Sean Parnell, desperate to pass his $2 billion-a-year oil tax cut… Parnell turned hydro projects from Southeast and Western Alaska, basic grid upgrades, geothermal wells, weatherization and wind power into hostages. Weatherization, energy infrastructure and renewable development are more than just jobs for Alaskans. They can free us to travel Outside for a family reunion or buy a safer, more fuel-efficient car. The savings for some families could determine the college their kids attend.”

Opinion: Nuclear technology can still have a role to play, even in geothermal resources

admin — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:01:11 +0000

In an item in the Jakarta Globe, Wibagyo, who goes by the single name, from the Center for Isotope and Radiation Technology at the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan), defends the use of nuclear technology in the aftermath of the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Nuclear opponents have advocated the use of other energy resources such as geothermal instead of the establishment of nuclear power plants. But Wibagyo said that nuclear technology would still have a role to play. “We’ve used nuclear technology to monitor available water reserves surrounding geothermal vents to determine if there would be a generous supply of water before exploiting the geothermal vents,” he said.

Opinion: When do deep drilling geothermal projects make good economic sense?

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:59:30 +0000

Writing for Renewable Energy Focus, Hubert Sacher and René Schiemann say “The exploitation of geothermal energy as a sustainable and almost inexhaustible source of base load energy is regarded as a technology of the future. Yet geothermal heat and electricity production to date has focused on countries with near-surface heat reservoirs. But regions without volcano or “hot-spot” areas frequently offer geothermal potential in deeper layers of the earth. For electricity production to be profitable, temperatures need to be over 100°C, frequently requiring ultra-deep drilling several thousands of metres into the earth – as is the case, for example, in the thermal water reservoirs in the Upper Jurassic limestone of the Molasse basin in Southern Germany.”

Opinion; How Canada is being left behind in the global race for geothermal energy

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:27:33 +0000

In an article in This Magazine, Brian Toohey, board director of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, says “Canada is one of the few developed nations in the world without a single conventional geothermal plant (which foregoes expensive drilling by exploiting rare plumes of the earth’s natural heat at or near the surface), let alone an EGS plant. There are a number of reasons for the absence of interest here, he adds, including lack of public familiarity with EGS and high front-end set-up costs. But, really, it boils down to support. There isn’t any.”