Geothermal energy in the United States

The Geysers in Sonoma and Lake counties, California was developed into what is now the largest geothermal steam electrical plant in the world, at 1,517 megawatts.

[5] Near Several small power plants were built during the late 1980s in the Basin and Range geologic province in Nevada, southeastern Oregon, southwestern Idaho, Arizona and western Utah.

This Act made new geothermal plants eligible for the full federal production tax credit, previously available only to wind power projects and certain kinds of biomass.

It also authorized and directed increased funding for research by the Department of Energy, and enabled the Bureau of Land Management to address its backlog of geothermal leases and permits.

[14] In 2018, due to volcanic activity the Puna Geothermal Venture in Hawaii had to be closed and was inundated by lava flows.

[16] In 2023, Houston-based startup Fervo began sending electricity to the grid from its 3.5 MW enhanced geothermal system Project Red.

[19] The future outlook for expanded production from conventional and enhanced geothermal systems is positive as new technologies promise increased growth in locations previously not considered.

This effluent used to be dumped into rivers and streams and is now piped to the geothermal field where it replenishes the steam produced for power generation.

[6] Other geothermal plants in Nevada are at Steamboat Springs, Brady/Desert Peak, Dixie Valley, Soda Lake, Stillwater and Beowawe.

[30] Unlike power sources such as wind and solar, geothermal energy is dispatchable, meaning that it is both available whenever needed, and can quickly adjust output to match demand.

Through the NGDS, many older paper archives and drill logs stored at state geological surveys are now being digitized and made available for free to the public.

[35]The underground hot water and steam used to generate geothermal power may contain chemical pollutants, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

[38] Some subsurface water associated with geothermal sources contains high concentrations of toxic elements such as boron, lead, and arsenic.