Obama Pledges $467 Million for U.S. Geothermal and Solar Research
May 29th, 2009Flashback: Geothermal Power Could Meet World’s Annual Energy Needs 250,000 Times Over
Via: Recharge News:
US President Barack Obama pledged $467m from his massive stimulus package for the development of geothermal and solar energy on Wednesday, stating the US has to make the choice to become a renewable power.
“We have a choice. We can remain the world’s leading importer of oil, or we can become the world’s leading exporter of clean energy,” Obama said, according to a statement from the Department of Energy (DOE).
Obama made the announcement in front of solar panels on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada, at Nellis Air Force Base, home to the country’s largest solar photovoltaic system. The 72,000-panel, 14-megawatt array provides a quarter of the electricity used at the base, where some 12,000 people work and live.
The funding, from the $787bn American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, drew applause from the US Geothermal Energy Association and Solar Energy Industries Association.
“There are more geothermal power projects under development today than have been built in the history of the United States,” Karl Gawell, GEA executive director, says in a statement. ”This stimulus funding will help make sure those projects are successfully completed and will help develop the technology needed to bring tens of thousands of additional megawatts on line.”
Geothermal will receive $350m, “dwarfing previous government commitments,” according to DOE.
Of that, $140m will support demonstration projects focused in new geographic areas and geothermal production “from oil and natural gas fields, geopressured fields, and low to moderate temperature geothermal resources.” Another $80mn is marked for research and development of enhanced geothermal systems, which aim to enable power production in areas with no geothermal water resources. New techniques for exploring, siting and drilling for geothermal energy will get $100m. Finally, $30m will go to a nationwide assessment of geothermal resources.
Solar energy is in line for $117.6m, aimed at helping the industry mature with scaled-up manufacturing, production and distribution. Specifically, $51.5m is marked for photovoltaic tecnology development; $40.5m goes toward tackling non-technical barriers to solar, such as grid connections, market barriers and installer shortages; $25.6m will fund concentrating solar power research and development, including funding for test and evaluation support from DOE National Laboratories.
