Combating
climate change, while simultaneously getting
energy to the two billion people without
access to it, are among the central challenges
of this generation.
But a century-old energy
technology that taps steam from hot underground
rock seems to provide an answer to this
challenge.
Geothermal energy is
a promising alternative to coal and oil-fired
power generation.
A project, testing advanced
seismic and drilling techniques in Kenya,
uncovered wells of steam able to generate
4-5 Mega Watts (MW) of electricity and one
yielding a bumper amount of 8MW. The project
is carried out by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment
Facility (GEF), in cooperation with the
Kenyan power company KenGen.
These findings suggest
a saving of as much as $75 million for the
developer of a 70MW installation, as well
as reduced electricity costs for generators
and consumers, experts estimate. This could
transform the prospects and costs for geothermal
in East Africa and elsewhere in the world.
The results were first
announced during the UN climate convention
conference in Poznan, Poland.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director, said:
"Geothermal is 100 per cent indigenous,
environmentally-friendly and a technology
that has been under-utilized for too long".
"There are at least
4,000MW of electricity ready for harvesting
along the Rift Valley. It is time to take
this technology off the back burner in order
to power livelihoods, fuel development and
reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable
fossil fuels." he added.
The GEF-funded project
has, over the past three years used techniques
for identifying promising new drilling sites.
The main challenge to expansion in Kenya
and elsewhere along the Rift has been the
risk associated with drilling and the high
costs if steam is missed. The nearly $1million
Joint Geophysical Imaging project has aimed
to overcome these risks. Kenya has set itself
a goal of generating 1,200MW from geothermal
by 2015.
More countries in the
region with geothermal resources have signaled
their enthusiasm to participate in the geothermal
expansion, including the Comoros Islands,
the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The Africa Rift Valley
Geothermal Development Facility (ARGeo),
backed with close to $18 million of funding,
involving UNEP and the World Bank, will
underwrite the risks of drilling in Djibouti,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
It is set to commence in early 2009, with
strong support from Iceland, one of the
world's leading geothermal economies, as
well as Germany.
Estimates by the Earth
Policy Institute in Washington indicate
that globally, geothermal capacity rose
from 1,300MW in 1975 to close to 8,000MW
in 2000 and stood at almost 10,000MW in
2007. The institute estimates that by 2010,
geothermal capacity could have reached 13,500MW.
Over 12 new geothermal
projects are in the pipeline or have been
registered under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean
Development Mechanism according to an analysis
by UNEP's Risoe energy centre in Denmark.
These include two in
El Salvador, totalling close to 50MW; one
in Guatemala for 25MW; four in Indonesia
totalling 200MW; Nicaragua, 66MW; Papua
New Guinea, 55MW and two in the Philippines
totalling 60MW.
The United States is
the world leader in terms of capacity with
around 3,000MW followed by the Philippines
with close to 2,000MW followed by Indonesia
with 1,000MW.
+ More
Geothermal Electricity
Set for Rift Valley Lift-Off in 2009
Countries across the
world, from Guatemala to Papua New Guinea,
are beginning to plug into geothermal energy
as a new and promising alternative to coal
and oil-fired power generation.
The century-old energy
technology that taps steam from hot underground
rocks is also poised for a massive expansion
up East Africa's Rift Valley in the 21st
century.
The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) have completed a project
testing advanced seismic and drilling techniques
in Kenya that has exceeded all expectations.
Wells of steam, able
to generate 4-5 MW of electricity and one
yielding a bumper amount of 8MW - enough
to power about 5,700 homes - have been hit
using the new technology.
This could mean a saving
of as much as $75 million for the developer
of a 70MW installation as well as reduced
electricity costs for generators and consumers,
experts estimate.
The results, announced
at the UN climate convention conference
in Poznan, Poland have now paved the way
for an international effort in 2009 to expand
geothermal up and down the Rift which runs
from Mozambique in the South to Djibouti
in the North.
The project, funded
by the GEF and involving UNEP and the Kenyan
power company KenGen, could also transform
the prospects and costs for geothermal elsewhere
in the world.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director, said:
"Combating climate change while simultaneously
getting energy to the two billion people
without access to it are among the central
challenges of this generation. Geothermal
is 100 per cent indigenous, environmentally-friendly
and a technology that has been under-utilized
for too long".
"There are least
4,000MW of electricity ready for harvesting
along the Rift. It is time to take this
technology off the back burner in order
to power livelihoods, fuel development and
reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable
fossil fuels. From the place where human-kind
took its first faltering steps is emerging
one of the answers to its continued survival
on this planet," he added.
