Friday, June 20, 2014

Global:

Report: About 530 MW of New Geothermal Generating Capacity Came On Line in 2013 (RT)

Total global capacity is now 12 GW a net capacity growth of 4% on the year


REN21's Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) provides a comprehensive and timely overview of renewable energy market, industry, investment and policy developments worldwide. It enables policymakers, industry, investors and civil society to make informed decisions. The report covers recent developments, current status, and key trends; by design, it does not provide analysis or forecast.


The report demonstrates that support for renewable energy is growing worldwide and at the beginning of 2014, the governments of 144 countries have set renewable energy targets, almost a ten-fold increase since 2005 when only 15 countries had policies in place.

The US retains it's place at the top of the list for geothermal energy followed by Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico and Italy.

The report writes that about 530 MW of new geothermal generating capacity came on line in 2013. Accounting for replacements, the net increase was about 455 MW, bringing total global capacity to 12 GW. This net capacity growth of 4% compares to an average annual growth rate of 3% for the two previous years (2010–12). Direct use of geothermal energy—for thermal baths and swimming pools, space heating, and agricultural and industrial processes—is estimated to exceed 300 petajoules (PJ) annually, but growth is not robust. Governments and industry continued  to pursue technological innovation to increase efficient use of conventional geothermal resources. In parallel, the use of low-temperature fields for both power and heat continued to expand, increasing the application of geothermal energy beyond high-temperature locations.

Read More......