Geothermal power generation in United States

Geothermal energy is an indigenous environmentally benign heat source with the potential for 5000-10000 GWe of power generation in the United States. Approximately 2535 MWe of installed capacity is currently operating in th US with contracted power costs down to 4.6 cents/kWh. The authors discuss the geothermal resources in the United States, their locations, potential, and current electric generation, and the power conversion systems used for geothermal power generation. Environmental aspects of geothermal power production, hurdles, bottlenecks and risks, and lessons learned to date are also discussed. Finally, on-going and future geothermal research programs to address the hurdles, bottlenecks, and risks of geothermal power production are briefly summarized