Geothermal Energy

In its latest quarterly financial report, Nevada Geothermal Power (CVX:NGP) states its revenue has increased more than 100%, while its net loss has been reduced by more than 75% compared to the same quarter last year. Currently, Nevada Geothermal Power's entire revenue stream comes from its Blue Mountain geothermal power plant in...[read more]

The Obama Administration betting big on enhanced geothermal systems, a new drilling technique that could boost geothermal power to 10 percent of America’s total portfolio. But it also could increase the risk of earthquakes. Correspondent Dan Goldstein goes to California and Oregon to investigate if this technique is shaky, or if it’s on solid ground.[read more]

I just caught up with last week's bankruptcy filing by Raser Technologies, Inc., a small developer of geothermal power plants. Burdened with excessive debt, Raser is filing for Chapter 11 protection to restructure its liabilities and continue operating under new ownership. In the process the current shareholders will see their much-...[read more]

Heating oil in Germany is currently more expensive than ever before at the beginning of a year. In this harsh winter, households that have already switched to renewable heating are in a financial advantage. In addition, heating systems based on renewable energy sources reduce the greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt hour by up to 95...[read more]

By Gerard Prins, via Wikimedia Commons

The new Jan./Feb. 2011 issue of the Electricity Journal is now available, and it contains the usual range of interesting things to consider. Take, for instance, the article “Redefining Renewable Portfolio Standards: The Value of Installed Renewable Capacity.” The article observes, reasonably so, that some sources of renewable power can...[read more]

Well, I’m at it again, sounding like a broken record, maybe, but it’s a song I have to play. My latest Clean Break column asks why Canada, and particularly Alberta, is still paying no attention to the potential of its geothermal resources while, south of the border, stimulus money is seeing geothermal power projects sprouting up and...[read more]

Geothermal power is probably the lowest-profile renewable energy option we have. It doesn't get nearly the attention that wind and solar power do--even from me--although it has been quietly cranking out about 0.4% of the US electricity supply for many years. That roughly matches the expected output of all the wind turbines likely to be...[read more]

In its recently released Sixth Edition of the Geothermal Report, ABS Energy Research concludes that although 2009 was a very difficult year for the geothermal industry, the market will continue to grow over the next five years. According to ABS Energy's research, only 10 projects, totaling 405-megawatts, were commissioned in...[read more]

Wind turbines stand tall and mesmerize with their motion. Solar cells bask in the sparkling sun. Meanwhile, hidden down in the dark dirty underworld, a compelling technology sits quietly and gets no respect. Once installed it largely goes unseen and, it seems, it’s equally invisible in the world of clean technology press, venture funding and government R&D funding. Yet this technology provides some of the most intriguing economic returns available[read more]

Here are some examples of progress universities have made over the summer at reducing their environmental impact.  As a recent college graduate who is going back for a Masters, I like to provide an update every so often of noteworthy actions taken by the higher education system. California State U Bakersfield to Install 1MW Solar...[read more]

Geothermal energy in the United States has reached its golden anniversary. 50 years ago, construction began on America’s first commercial-scale geothermal power plant just north of San Francisco. It was named The Geysers and has grown over the years from a single 11-megawatt power plant to a complex of 22 individual plants drawing...[read more]