A new report by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) shows that there has been strong growth in new geothermal power projects continuing into 2009.  Since August 2008, there has been a 25% increase in new geothermal projects.  There is also an increase in overall production potential by 35%.  The report also notes that the number of states producing geothermal power has increased from 7 to 8 with the addition of Wyoming.  The report identifies a total of 126 projects under development with the potential to put 5,500 MW of new geothermal power on line, equivalent to 15,000 MW – 20,000 MW from wind turbines or enough power for 5.5 million California homes. New geothermal power projects were identified in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

“It is great to see that between August 2008 and March 2009, there was a jump of about 1,500 MW in new geothermal projects,” remarks Slack. “Interest in geothermal, said Kara Slack, the report’s author.  “development continues to grow. We are seeing new entrants to the industry, in part because of new leasing by BLM and several new projects by the U.S. Navy,” she added.

Nevada, with 58 confirmed projects, has the most production under development. California is second with 27 projects, followed by Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Alaska, respectively.

“The report shows a substantial movement of projects into the later stages of development, the permitting and construction phases,” said Karl Gawell, Executive Director of GEA. “If federal and state governments give them the support and priority they need, most of these projects could be on line in a few years.” GEA estimates that bringing these projects on line could help economic recovery, spurring as many as 100,000 new jobs.

You can obtain a copy of  U.S. Geothermal Power Production and Development Update, March 2009 from the GEA Web site.  Their weekly newsletter is also available free of charge. You can  also read their factsheet on geothermic employment.

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Author: Tracey de Morsella (323 Articles)

Tracey de Morsella started her career working as an editor for US Technology Magazine. She used that experience to launch Delaware Valley Network, a publication for professionals in the Greater Philadelphia area. Years later, she used the contacts and resources she acquired to work in executive search specializing in technical and diversity recruitment. She has conducted recruitment training seminars for Wachovia Bank, the Department of Interior and the US Postal Service. During this time, she also created a diversity portal called The Multicultural Advantage and published the Diversity Recruitment Advertising Toolkit, a directory of recruiting resources for human resources professionals. Her career and recruitment articles have appeared in numerous publications and web portals including Woman Engineer Magazine, Monster.com, About.com Job Search Channel, Workplace Diversity Magazine, Society for Human Resource Management web site, NSBE Engineering Magazine, HR.com, and Human Resource Consultants Association Newsletter. Her work with technology professionals drew her to pursuing training and work in web development, which led to a stint at Merrill Lynch as an Intranet Manager. In March, she decided to combine her technical and career management expertise with her passion for the environment, and with her husband, launched The Green Economy Post, a blog providing green career information and covering the impact of the environment, sustainable building, cleantech and renewable energy on the US economy. Her sustainability articles have appeared on Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation, Chem.Info,FastCompany and CleanTechies.