The members of several leading national geothermal trade and business associations have joined together to establish an international geothermal business coalition in conjunction with the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) 2011 Geothermal Energy Technology and International Development Forum.
The new International Geothermal Business Coalition, founded by the European Geothermal Energy Council, the US Geothermal Energy Association, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, the Australian Geothermal Energy Association, and the Chilean Geothermal Energy Association, will represent the leading companies involved in developing geothermal resources to meet energy needs across the world.
“Supporting a range of government policies that can provide support for the development of geothermal resources is our priority,” said Philippe Dumas of the European Geothermal Energy Council. “We will call upon each country to assess the potential of geothermal and develop effective long-term incentives and policy supports for this growing renewable industry.”
Geothermal power presently supplies the world with 10,715 Megawatts of electricity in 24 countries on six continents. The potential to use geothermal resources is much greater. With the technology available today and under development for the future, geothermal resources could supply more than 300,000 Megawatts of power, while producing far fewer carbon emissions than from legacy sources.
"Geothermal energy can provide competitively priced, renewable, round-the-clock energy to the markets our organizations represent and beyond that. At the same time geothermal energy can be a part of the solution to growing concerns about securing sustainable, cost-effective energy sources," said Alexander Richter, Director of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association. "We are therefore looking very much forward working together as part of this international geothermal business coalition, to promote the vast potential of geothermal energy worldwide, but also the tremendous market opportunity for companies participating in the growth of the industry."
The new geothermal coalition will work to expand efforts to utilize these valuable geothermal resources in every nation. With the vast potential that geothermal has to create clean, renewable baseload energy and bring jobs to the nations that embrace it, the coalition leaders will work to ensure that geothermal resources are not ignored in national and international energy plans.
“International and multi-national organizations will also be vital to supporting geothermal resource assessment, technology development, and the development of global policies and financial incentives to expand the use of geothermal resources,” said Fernando Allendes, President of the Chilean Geothermal Energy Association, ACHEGEO
The GEA International Forum, where this new coalition was announced, brought over two hundred industry leaders, foreign diplomats, financiers and government officials together to participate in discussions on the geothermal market today, projects under development in the U.S. and internationally, and the outlook for the future of the geothermal market.
“This gathering has again shown the importance of the growing global geothermal market and how supportive government policies are key to fueling its growth,” said Karl Gawell, GEA Executive Director and Chairman of the Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. “As we see people across the globe clamoring for safe, clean, and renewable power, the geothermal industry can help meet those demands if government policies recognize the potential of geothermal energy.”
“Given its unique and wide ranging benefits including its baseload capability, relative low cost to other generation technologies and that it doesn’t produce waste materials that need to be dealt with by future generations, it is vital that governments provide funding and support to develop their geothermal industries equal to, if not greater than, that provided to other technologies,” said Susan Jeanes, Chief Executive of the Australian Geothermal Energy Association.
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