Geothermal Energy Statistics By Consumption, Number Of Jobs, Type, Top Countries, Generation And Installation Cost
Maitrayee Dey
Updated · Nov 25, 2024
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Geothermal Energy Consumption
- Estimated Number Of Geothermal Energy-Related Jobs
- Mineral Demand Share Forecast For Geothermal Energy By Type
- Use Of Geothermal Energy For Heat Generation By Top Countries
- Geothermal Energy Installation Cost
- Projected Geothermal Power Generation
- Geothermal Power Capacity By Country
- Environment Impact
- Conclusion
Introduction
Geothermal Energy Statistics: Energy Geothermal is all about the heat that has accumulated within the earth’s crust. This heat is then put into use for generating electricity, direct heating, and for various industrial purposes. The good news about this source of energy is that it is clean and, hence, does not produce emissions to the environment, and hence, the effect is highly negligible.
As per Geothermal Energy Statistics 2024, this form of energy will catch a lot of attention since it is more dependable than other forms of energy, such as wind and solar.
Editor’s Choice
- Geothermal energy statistics reveal that in 2023, the U.S. geothermal energy consumed 120 trillion BTU, while an additional capacity of 55.9 MW of geothermal power was installed, generating capacity for potential future generation.
- In its total employment, the geothermal energy employment figures were almost one hundred sixty thousand people in the world, with the majority, 59%, in China due to the high usage of geothermal energy for district water and electricity heating.
- 58.4% of the entire mineral consumption worldwide for geothermal systems in the year 2050 will be located in nickel, which will be used for manufacturing internal parts such as turbines and heat exchangers that require withstandable heat corrosion.
- In 2023, 16.5 TWh of electricity was generated by the geothermal energy sector in the U.S., representing less than 0.4% of national generation for a capacity of 4.0 GW installed plants that produced 2.7 GW due to the old age of the plants.
- Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) hope to increase that to 90 GW by 2050.
- Progress was needed with Japan’s geothermal capacity, despite the additional capacity coming from plants such as the 14.9 MW Appi plant. By 2022, the country had only 0.3 GW of this installed capacity available for electricity generation.
- By the year 2023, two small geothermal plants were built in Taiwan, representing an insignificant portion of its energy mix (0.01%).
- Geothermal energy systems have significantly reduced Co2 emissions, 35 times lower on kilowatt hours generated when compared to coal-fired systems, and they are also more water efficient, binary and flash plants consuming 0.24-4.21 and 1.59-2.84 gallons respectively of water ineffective power generation per kilowatt hour.
- Geothermal energy statistics show that in the USA, geothermal energy emission corresponds to 22 million metric tons of CO2, tons of NOx – 200 000, and a total of suspended cretaceous rocks – 110 000, which would have been for the clouds of coal combustion.
- There is also a possibility to recycle or beneficially use wastes created by geothermal energy exploitation, which further strengthens the green spirit. In 2023, experts projected the average cost of geothermal systems to be $4,589/kW.
- This figure indicates a drop thanks to advancements in drilling technology and materials. Growth has also been witnessed globally in the use of geothermal energy for non-electric applications such as space heating, with direct use expected to grow to 800 PJ within five years by 2024.
- Geothermal energy statistics indicate that it is still a core renewable energy source where $8.2 billion worth of market is expected, but the challenges posed are the high cost involved and its irregular distribution.
Geothermal Energy Consumption
(Reference: statista.com)
- Geothermal energy statistics state that in the year 2023, 120 trillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy from geothermal sources were used in the United States.
- BTUs are a unit of measurement for energy that is commonly a measurement unit for energy used. This shows the energy that is produced from geothermal sources (such as the heat present under the earth’s crust) and put into use for balance in electric and heat energy production.
- In 2022, the United States produced 55.9 MW of trebled geothermal energy generating capacity. Megawatts are a unit of power measurement; more specifically, they are the power of electric generators at power plants at a given instant.
- When 55.9 MW is added, it indicates that the US has increased its capacity for geothermal energy, which may lead to higher energy generation in the years to come.
Estimated Number Of Geothermal Energy-Related Jobs
(Reference: statista.com)
- Globally, the geothermal energy sector provided nearly 160,000 jobs. These could include jobs in exploration, construction, operation and maintenance of geothermal plants, and development of geothermal technologies.
- Out of the 160,000 jobs, 94,000 were in China. Hence, nearly 59% of the employment in the geothermal energy sector worldwide was in China.
- This market shows that China has significant investment and activity in geothermal energy, which is likely because the country has an extensive amount of geothermal energy used for district heating, electricity generation, and other purposes.
(Reference: statista.com)
- Energy-producing plants and heat pumps, as part of geothermal energy systems, have different components that require specific materials.
- Such materials include drilling and construction materials, high-temperature structural materials, and corrosion-resistant equipment.
- For example, metals such as nickel are primarily erosive thanks to their ability to withstand high heat and corrosive environments that are always associated with geothermal.
- Geothermal energy statistics indicate that through the year 2050, 58.4% of the total mineral exploration demand across the globe for geothermal energy systems will be composed of nickel.
- This is because nickel is used to make alloys that have high strength and resistance to corrosion, which are important in turbines, heat exchangers, and other equipment in geothermal systems.
- Its capability of sustaining its properties even at high temperatures and resistance to friction are determinants of the sustained operation of geothermal systems.
Use Of Geothermal Energy For Heat Generation By Top Countries
(Reference: statista.com)
- Geothermal energy statistics indicate the use of geothermal energy for heat generation by the topmost countries. The figures presented next to every country (e.g., 12,585 for China) blow down is the use of geothermal heat generated in terajoules (TJ) or what is equivalent.
- The USA, with 10,247 TJ, also ranks well, with uses involving heating buildings and greenhouses as well as aquaculture. America’s geothermal resources are high in number, especially in the western states of California, Utah, and Nevada.
- In Sweden, 7,139 TJ of produced geothermal energy is effectively used, especially in ground source heat pumps for both domestic and commercial heating purposes. This illustrates the country’s efforts in promoting green energy and lessening reliance on fossil fuels.
- Similarly to Sweden, Norway utilizes geothermics mainly for heating with 7,001 TJ of geothermal energy while ensuring high levels of renewable energy.
- The use of geothermal heating is extremely important for Iceland’s energy policy since it is used for most residential heating because of the high volcanic activity in the country. France and Germany use energy 3,592 T and 3,546 T. This kind of energy also employs geothermic energy heat pumps and a district heating network as part of their renewable energy goals.
- The application of geothermal energy in the Netherlands is increasing, mostly in heat greenhouses and buildings.
- These countries tend to focus on utilizing geothermal energy for space heating, district heating, greenhouse heating, and industrial heating rather than producing electricity.
- Countries with high geothermal activity (Iceland, for example) or countries that have developed policies to ensure the use of high pumping technologies (such as Sweden) usually perform better in this ranking.
Geothermal Energy Installation Cost
(Reference: statista.com)
- In the course of these 13 years, the average installed cost of geothermal energy systems varied in the range of $3,000 – $6,100 per kilowatt. This range captures changes in the prices of materials and labour, improvements in geothermal technology, and the ease or difficulty of drilling or construction respective to different areas.
- The highest average cost spent, which was reported, was $6,112/kW in 2012. The year recorded high temperatures for geothermal projects, which was associated with competition for scarce resources. These included technical and logistical factors such as depth of drilling and actual deployment area complexities.
- By the year 2023, the installed cost had improved to an average of $4,589/kW. Improved drilling strategies: the price of reaching geothermal reservoirs has been minimized. Geographical adaptations: with the increase of geothermal developments worldwide, the cost of producing one kilowatt of energy has lowered.
- Advances in materials and systems design: wider efficiency of used resources and newer techniques in thermal resource utilization.
- A falling trend in the average price is an indicator that the use of geothermal energy is becoming cheaper and more useful in all forms of energy as a renewable source. This makes it beneficial for the countries that aim to reduce carbon emissions in their energy mix.
Projected Geothermal Power Generation
(Reference: statista.com)
- Geothermal energy statistics illustrate the forecasted growth of geothermal energy generation across the nether regions from the years 2015 to 2021, inclusive.
- It is anticipated that geothermal energy production will rise to approximately 17 gigawatts across the globe by the year 2021.
(Source: iea.org)
- The immediate application of geothermal energy relates to activities such as installing heating apparatus within buildings, agricultural activities, and work requiring heat. As per the International Energy Agency (IEA), the overall development of geothermal energy employed for direct use in all countries has gradually increased from 2012 to 2024.
- As of the end of 2012, the total geothermal energy exploited for direct use was around 400 petajoules(PJ).
- In the year 2020, this value had gone significantly up to about 600 PJ, portraying a reasonable escalation within the eight-year period.
- According to the IEA, the estimate of the Direct use of geothermal energy will amount to 800 PJ in the year 2024. The pattern of geothermal energy usage per sector has mostly stayed the same.
- Geothermal energy statistics show that the bulk of this is found in buildings, followed by industry and even agriculture. The amount of geothermal energy applied in constructing and maintaining buildings was 737 EJ in 2024, while for industrial applications, it has been about 33 EJ in heat, which is 0.4%, and for agricultural purposes, around 116 EJ.
- Such growth can be attributed to the growing awareness of the potential of geothermal energy as a direct-use heating application around the globe.
Geothermal Power Capacity By Country
(Source: ren21.net)
- Recent Geothermal energy statistics reveal that a 25 MW binary-cycle facility with a 95 km long transmission was constructed in the North Valley, Nevada, which resulted in an increase of 1% of installed geothermal capacity to 2.7 GW.
- Nevertheless, the capacity increase has been slow, with only a 1% generation increase for the period between 2017 and 2022 due to reduced steam output from aged plants such as The Geysers complex located in California.
- The total installed generator capacity is 4.0 GW, but the operational capacity is only 2.7 GW.
- By 2023, geothermal energy contributed 16.5 TWh, accounting for less than 0.4% of the total electric energy generated in the United States.
- To overcome these challenges, the geographic and commercial area of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and close loop systems are being developed in the national context, targeting reduction in costs, and a target potential of 90 GW is being developed towards 2050.
- Since 2021, EGS technology has been improving. Thus, the costs have been lowered by half, while the main actions are taking place within the US and, after that, in other countries as well.
- On the other hand, despite the newly built plants, the geothermal output in Japan is more or less flat. New installations like the 14.9 MW Appi plant and two small plants in Kumamoto and Hokkaido have come into operation, replacing older plants that were far less efficient, thanks to government risk sharing and incentives.
- However, the overall capacity, which had been high in 1996, started to decline due to less-performing reservoirs coupled with oversized turbines.
- Geothermal energy statistics showed that a mere 0.3 GW of the total installed capacity in Japan was applied for electricity generation, which was equivalent to 0.2% of supply.
- Taiwan managed to almost complete two small plants – a 1 MW facility in New Taipei City and an 840 kW plant in Yilan County – which accounted for an insignificant share of the nation’s electricity supply, amounting to just 0.01%.
- The Philippines occupies the third position in terms of the geothermal market, standing for an installed capacity of 1.9 GW, although only 1.7 GW of this capacity is put into operation.
- There has been a standstill in capacity development with only minimal additions post-2008, and the operational capacity has been reduced by 55 MW during the year 2023.
- In Türkiye, the baseload geothermal energy experienced a rapid advancement between the years 2008 and 2019, after which the growth in five years ceased.
- A country with a geothermal energy installed capacity of 30 MW in 2008 and 1.5 GW in 2019. 2023 saw no new capacity additions. However, 15 projects, which are equivalent to 320 MW, are at the pre-licencing stage.
- In most parts of the world, progress in development has been hampered by problems such as depleting field output, the absence of new fields, and untapped capacity, even though some regions have made strides.
Environment Impact
- The environmental consequences of geothermal-based electric plants are considerably lower than those of coal-based electric plants.
- For example, a coal power plant in the USA emits around 35 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere for every unit of electricity (kWh) produced than a geothermal electricity plant.
- Geothermal energy statistics reveal that binary cycle and flash-type geothermal plants withdraw lower volumes of water than thermoelectric plants (with a corresponding average water consumption of 15 gallons per kWh in 2015). It is estimated that these plants require only about 0.24 to 4.21 gallons and 1.59 to 2.84 gallons per kWh, respectively, with the power plants using water in a rational way.
- According to estimates, U.S. geothermal energy prevents an annual amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which, if takes into account all the potential fossil fuels consumed by the generation of electricity from coal in the U.S would be approximately 22 million tons of CO2, 200 000 tons of NOx and still 110 000 tons of airborne particulate emissions.
- The U.S. Department of Energy is researching geological storage with enhanced geothermal systems. There are still doubts about the safety and practicality of conducting carbon sequestration operations in the geologic setting over long periods and at considerable scales.
- In some geothermal plants, solid waste is generated and must be disposed of in designated locations. On the other hand, certain wastes incurred during geothermal power generation can be reused, or even converted into energy, making it a more effective as well as a sustainable waste management technique.
Conclusion
In 2024, geothermal energy statistics will be of paramount importance to international renewable energy targets. Geothermal energy generates a market worth $8.2 billion and has considerable investments; thus, it is considered a dependable and environmentally friendly energy source.
However, problems such as high costs and availability in certain regions still exist, and technology improvement and global aid aims to raise the use of geothermal energy in the years to come.
FAQ.
What Precisely Is Geothermal Energy, And What Makes It Eco-Friendly?
Geothermal energy makes use of the heat located underneath the crust of the Earth for the generation of electric energy, heating, and other industrial activities. It is desirable since its pollutants are millions of times less than fossil fuels emittance, and its carbon output is 35 times lower compared to coal power generating systems. On top of that, less water is used in the geothermal plants as they utilise only 0.24 -4.21 gallons of water per kilowatt hour as opposed to 15 gallons for thermoelectric water-consuming plants.
How is geothermal energy Produced, and how do people put it to work around the world nowadays?
In 2023, worldwide geothermal generation reached 16.5 TWh, with the US achieving 4.0 GW of installed capacity. Old plants’ operational capacity was limited to 2.7 GW. The sector provides nearly 160,000 jobs worldwide, with the largest number in China (59%) because of large-scale district heating systems.
What Are The Main Problems Of Geothermal Energy Generation?
Geothermal energy has its problems, including enormous capital costs, of which a fraction is regionally based, and the problem of production decline in existing plants. For example, Japan’s geothermal water is stagnated because the source has been exhausted and the turbines are too big. Taiwan and the Philippines also have power generation rigidity in the same order.
In what way are changes being incorporated into the costs of harnessing geothermal energy, and what is worth noting with regard to future projections?
Despite expansion in steam driven generation capacity, the cost of geothermal energy installations has also decreased to $4,589/kW in 2023 due to improvements in new technologies and materials. Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) intend to increase the potential capacity substantially in order to reach 90 GW by 2050, making geothermal energy easier and cheaper to harness.
What are the environmental benefits of geothermal energy compared to coal?
Geothermal energy usage cuts down greenhouse gas emissions to a great extent, stopping an estimated 22 million metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in the US. It also stops the emission of other harmful substances, such as nitrogen oxides (200,000 tons) and particulates (110,000 tons), which would be emitted by a coal combustion system. Some geothermal plants even make non-toxic use of their waste, which is an added benefit.
Maitrayee Dey
Maitrayee, after completing her graduation in Electrical Engineering, transitioned into the world of writing following a series of technical roles. She specializes in technology and Artificial Intelligence, bringing her experience as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, with a focus on education and healthcare under the Australian system. From an early age, writing and painting have been her passions, leading her to pursue a full-time career in writing. In addition to her professional endeavors, Maitrayee also manages a YouTube channel dedicated to cooking.
