GEOTHERMAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE USA AND FUTURE-DIRECTIONS

The geothermal industry presently has an operating generation capacity of about 2,300 megawatts and generates about 17 billion kilowatt-hour s per year in the United States. Although the domestic market is stagn ant due to restructuring of the electricity industry and to the very l ow competing price of natural gas, the industry is doing well by devel oping geothermal fields and power plants in the Philippines and Indone sia. The industry strongly supports the Department of Energy research program to develop new and improved technology and help lower the cost s of geothermal power generation.