An overview of world geothermal power generation and a case study on China—The resource and market perspective

Abstract

The development of geothermal power generation in recent years has not given cause for optimism, and the reasons behind this situation are complicated. Nevertheless, if the global geothermal power generation market is studied, some interesting phenomena are revealed. First, the development of geothermal power generation around the world is unbalanced and highly correlated with the distribution of geothermal resources; therefore, the geothermal power generation potential in each country is examined and candidate countries are selected to analyze this unbalanced global development. Further, considering that the exploitation of energy does not rest solely on resource endowment and that the market is a critical factor, the factors that may influence the market are identified by studying the history of global geothermal power generation. Although the influencing factors in each country are not the same, the analysis indicates that factors such as a country's energy strategy, energy resource location, and the sustainable development of geothermal resources play critical roles in the development of geothermal power generation. Finally, the resource endowment is jointly considered with the main factors that influence the market to create a well-organized analytical framework for other researchers. The proposed analytical framework is then applied to make a tentative preliminary judgment about the development of geothermal power generation in China. The analysis shows that China has considerable potential for geothermal power generation; however, the development prospects under the current conditions are not promising.