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A geothermal heat pump is a renewable heating source for residential and commercial utilization. It is a distribution system for hot and cold water/refrigerant. Elaborate underground geothermal energy systems can provide heating in the winter and cooling during the summer. The initial costs of a system may be expensive; however, the long term savings is seen both economically and with a reduction in carbon output.

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For the last few decades, people have been harnessing a renewable resource produced from the heat generated deep in the earth, known as geothermal energy, for a variety of purposes. There are two main ways geothermal energy is used: direct and to produce electricity. Direct use includes bathing and providing heat to buildings through the use of pump systems. These methods make use of heat found near the earth’s surface. In North America and Europe, using geothermal energy in heat pumps to heat and cool buildings is the dominant form of direct use, likely due to the harsh swings in temperature during winter and summer.

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Potential for power from geothermal sources is wide-ranging and ever-present in many regions. The one potential problem with utilizing a geothermal source is the expense of drilling to find out exactly where it is situated. New seismic tools are now available to locate geothermal veins more easily. With this new technique, companies don’t have to be as concerned about the cost of drilling and finding nothing.

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There is a power crisis in Java and Bali. Their combined power grid is operating at 250 MW below demand. To help facilitate the production of more power, the government of Indonesia is set to auction geothermal resources in Ijen, Banyuwangi and Ngebel, Ponorogo. The capacity of both sites is said to be over 400 MW.

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Comoros is located off the eastern edge of Africa, between Mozambique and Madagascar. It is an island nation and the third smallest nation in Africa by land mass. It has a population of almost 800,000, which is one of the densest populations on the continent. It also has a volcano, Karthala, which is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, and which the island nation could use to its advantage.

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The Kawerau Geothermal Power Station is officially open and generating power to distribute to 100,000 homes and businesses. This effort represents New Zealand’s largest geothermal energy project in the last two decades. Its importance cannot be over-stated; it is a marvel.

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Scotland is among the many countries discovering how useful geothermal energy to heat structures can be. New houses being built in regions of Scotland, such as Hawick in the southeast portion of the country, are incorporating geothermal energy in their construction. A recently built primary school in Denholm is also utilizing geothermal sources as part of its combined energy answer.

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Envent Holding Philippines, Inc., whose chief shareholders are two Icelandic firms, has announced that progress is coming along nicely on the exploration being performed at the Biliran Geothermal Development Project. Biliran is an island situated atop a compound volcano that last erupted, the only time it has erupted, in 1939. It is believed to be a hotbed of geothermal activity and, therefore, have geothermal resources available to provide a source of energy.

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Testing in Newcastle, part of southwest Dublin, is showing in early reports that approximately 10,000 area homes could potentially see benefits from a system of extracting heat that is lying in a geothermal reserve between 4,000m and 5,000m below the ground surface. Hopes are optimistic that within five to seven years, 15 percent of heating and hot water sources used in Dublin could be available through the use of geothermal energy.

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Twenty-five years ago, Alaska landowners couldn’t get anyone interested in any of the 16 tracts of land believed to be hovering over geothermal resources on the south side of Mount Spurr. Today, however, another story is evolving. Recently, when the lands were offered for lease again, all 16 tracts received bids including offers from some of the biggest players in the world among geothermal plant manufacturers: Ormat Technologies, Inc. and Iceland America Energy, Inc.

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It goes to show that sometimes the old ways, and the natural ways, are the best. Back in simpler times, when life was more direct, the Shoshone Native American tribal people used natural hot water to warm the village in the winter as they camped. The Shoshone Nation in Honeyville, Utah, is using the same basic principles and elements today as they prepare to build five geothermal plants and sell the energy produced to residents of Riverside, California.

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Just after Hurricane Omar passed Nevis, the West Indies Power company’s No. 3 well, located at Hamilton Estate, spouted off with a strong gush of steam. There was found to be an unbroken geothermal reservoir between Nevis No. 1 well (located at Spring Hill) and No. 3 that maintained the high temperatures and steam associated with a usable geothermal resource. Officials now believe the opportunity is wide-ranging for geothermal energy to produce hundreds of megawatts of power for the citizens of Nevis and surrounding regions.

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As strange as it may seem to some, Iceland, the land of ice, has been operating a geothermal power plant, an underground heat source, since 1976 in Svartsengi. The plant combined heat and power to produce 150 MW of heat and 76 MW of electricity. Heat from this plant serves the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, and its peninsula. The discharge from the power plant is also famous for its Blue Lagoon Spa.

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Geothermal energy is getting a larger and larger piece of the pie when talk turns to renewable and alternative energy sources. The more that is learned and discovered about this resource, the more attractive it becomes. It stands to play a very important role in the mix of energy technologies as the world turns toward more environmentally friendly solutions.

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The Government of Dominica is looking at strategies to develop the country’s geothermal energy resources. The work is slated to progress in two phases. The first phase is a study to determine the location, the amount, and the geophysical processes involved in understanding the feasibility of utilizing geothermal resources in Dominica. The second phase will continue to analyze if the geothermal sources are appropriate for generating a large volume of electricity and undertaking test drilling (expected in June 2009).

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Hidden beneath the terrain of much of Kenya is a prime resource that will allow the country to tap into geothermal energy sources. This could be the much-needed answer to the country’s current crisis of electricity costs. Geothermal energy resources are only in the beginning stages of being mined for use. It is estimated that under Kenya’s surface, there lies a potential to claim 7000 MW of steam for energy.

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For all the problems experienced by the Filipino people, from Ferdinand Marcos and his wife’s famous collection of shoes, to the poverty of the people, to the military upheavals and tales of corruption, this country has managed to brilliantly utilize its geothermal resources. The Philippines have a population of about 90 million inhabitants and they are the largest consumer in the world of electricity from geothermal sources.

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Geothermal energy, also known as “hot rocks” technology, is soon to be explored in nine areas of Australia. Steam collected from the hot underground rocks is captured and transformed into a renewable energy source with low emissions. The government of Australia has given permits to New World Energy to drill in parts of Australia where a huge amount of hot rocks are expected to be found. As soon as the permits are confirmed, the company can begin testing temperatures in the suspected areas of interest and collecting geological specimens. It is expected to be a slow process in the beginning as it will take a few years to get the drilling needed completed to actually benefit from the possible geothermal energy hidden under ground.

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