Geothermal Energy - Topical Themes in Energy and Resources - page 92

Table 6.1 Top 10 Countries using geothermal energy. (IEA 2010a )
Country Geothermal electricity

production GWh/yr

Country Geothermal direct use

GWh/yr

United States 16,603 China 20,932

Philippines 10,311 United States 15,710

Indonesia 9600 Sweden 12,585

Mexico 7047 Turkey 10,247

Italy 5520 Japan 7139

Iceland 4597 Norway 7000

New Zealand 4055 Iceland 6768

Japan 3064 France 3592

Kenya 1430 Germany 3546

El Salvador 1422 Netherlands 2972

Fig. 6.1 Areas of high geothermal activity due to Tectonic Plate movement. (Source: IPCC 2011 )

Geothermal power is potentially cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environ-
ment- friendly but, as can be seen from the location of the main users in Table 6.1 ,
has historically been located at areas near tectonic plate boundaries (Fig. 6.1 ),
where the heat is relatively easy to access—indeed the tradition of hot springs can
be traced back thousands of years in some areas.
In recent years, technological advances have dramatically expanded the range
and size of potentially viable resources, especially for applications such as home
heating, increasing the potential for widespread exploitation. In addition, the tech-
nologies of deep drilling and fracturing have improved, and allow the heat present
in the crust outside the main plate boundaries to be accessed, thus offering potential