10 October 2013: The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Geothermal Implementing Agreement (GIA) has released its Annual Report for 2011 and published country reports for Australia, the European Commission, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the US.

The report outlines the current status of geothermal energy globally, the work of GIA, its member activities at the national level, corporate activity, and plans for the future. The report says worldwide potential for accessible geothermal energy lies at approximately 40% of the total 2009 global energy supply but that this estimate could also rise if future accessible resources are identified. If properly exploited, the GIA estimates that 70-80 gigawatts could be produced by geothermal energy by 2050.

Based on national survey data, the GIA found that 24 countries were producing 11.07 megawatts of geothermal energy in 2010, avoiding approximately 55.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per annum. Nine GIA member countries producing geothermal energy accounted for 63% of this global production. It further found that the rate of deployment has been increasing over time, with over 350 megawatts per year being added on average from 2005-2011.

Looking forward, IEA GIA aims to broaden its membership base, participate in scientific meetings and support research into geothermal energy. The country reports contain sections on: descriptions of national programmes; industry status and market development; research, development and demonstration/deployment; geothermal education; future outlook; and further sources of information. The GIA has 20 members, made up of 14 countries, 5 sponsors (industry) and the European Commission. [Publication: IEA Geothermal Implementing Agreement Annual Report 2011] [2012 Country reports]