U.S. Partnership With IRENA: Harnessing the Potential of Geothermal Energy
By Amos Hochstein serves as Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
On the road to COP21 in Paris, many countries around the world have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint, by making individual commitments and setting reduction targets. As Secretary Kerry underscored on December 9, the conference in Paris is important, but it’s “only the preamble” and much work remains on our path to prevent the worst consequences of climate change from happening.
The United States’ new partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is one way we and our partners in the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) are working to demonstrate our commitment to the global clean energy economy.
The launch of this new partnership complements the efforts underway in Paris by forging action to increase the share of geothermal energy in the global energy mix through both geothermal power generation and direct use of geothermal heat.
Geothermal energy is a proven clean energy technology that provides stable and affordable electricity. Geothermal resources can also provide direct heating for domestic, commercial, and the industrial sectors. With geothermal resources now identified in nearly 90 countries, this resource has great potential to contribute to a cleaner energy future. We have only barely begun to harness this potential — to date, only 24 countries, including the United States, are producing geothermal electricity, leaving 94 percent of the estimated global geothermal power potential untapped.
This alliance will provide a global platform to facilitate enhanced dialogue, cooperation and coordination among key geothermal stakeholders and spearhead collaborative action essential to accelerate broader geothermal energy development with its many benefits.
Through its network of governments, industry, and other stakeholders, the GGA will explore innovative mechanisms to mitigate risks associated with geothermal exploration, drilling, investment, and operation. The GGA will mobilize efforts to adopt a more programmatic approach to geothermal energy development in order to achieve the deployment of cost-effective geothermal projects through a five-fold growth in the global installed capacity of geothermal power generation and more than two-fold growth in geothermal heating compared to the 2014 levels by 2030. This effort will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Energy for All target of doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030.
I look forward to the opportunity for the United States government to work with IRENA as well as other GGA members and partners to tap, more broadly, the potential of this important energy resource.
Editor’s Note: This blog originally appeared on DipNote, the U.S. Department of State’s Official Blog.
