Geothermal power timeline

• 1922

  The first geothermal power plant in the USA was built in Geysers, California, producing 250 kilowatts of power. It operated intermittently and was later shut down.

• 1960

  Pacific Gas and Electric began operating the first successful geothermal power plant in the USA at The Geysers, California, with a capacity of 11 megawatts.

• 1974

  The oil crisis sparked increased interest in renewable energy, including geothermal. Research and development expanded significantly.

• 1975

  The first Stanford Geothermal Workshop was held, providing a platform for researchers and industry leaders to share advancements and collaborate on geothermal technologies.

• 1980s

  The Geysers became the largest geothermal field in the world, with a peak generating capacity of over 2,000 megawatts.

• 2000s

  Geothermal power capacity continued to grow with advancements in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and binary cycle technology.

• 2020s

  Geothermal energy became a key component of the USA's renewable energy strategy, with increasing investments and innovative projects.

2024 Energy Transition Perception Survey

Thank you everyone who responded to this survey. Much appreciated!

If we take capacity factor as the measure of reliability, nuclear and geothermal lead with about 95%. Note: capacity factor is the percentage of time annually that a power plant is actually producing electrical power.

All of the fuel energy sources (coal, gas, nuclear) are ultimately supply-limited on the century scale. Solar, wind and geothermal are unlimited, but rare earth elements in solar and recycle/wildlife issues with wind make them less environmentally sustainable than geothermal. If you think hydro is environmentally benign, talk to a wildlife biologist or read this. 

This one is a bit subjective depending on the humans being considered: consumers, those living near power plants, those mining minerals necessary for energy production?

The US Energy Information Administration predicts 2050 generation as 44% renewables, 34% natural gas, 12% nuclear, and 10% coal. In order of dominance, their 2050 scenario for renewables is solar, wind, hydro, geothermal.

This depends on several factors including which government incentives are included, whether coal and gas  include carbon capture technology, etc. Nuclear reactivation has a relatively low cost, but new build is one of the highest. The Visual Capitalist take on this question is shown below. 

SLB Colloquium at UArk Geosciences Department

Original on LinkedIn