Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report

The report finds that global geothermal operating capacity reached 13.3 GW across 24 countries by January 2016, with a forecast to reach 18.4 GW by 2021. While international growth is supported by COP21 commitments and the Global Geothermal Alliance's goal of 65 GW by 2030, the U.S. market has nearly stalled at 3.7 GW of nameplate capacity due to cheap natural gas and unbalanced tax incentives. The report highlights that only 6-7% of global geothermal potential has been tapped and emphasizes the need for increased public financing to drive private investment in developing nations.

• As of January 2016, the global geothermal market had approximately 13.3 GW of operating capacity across 24 countries, with 12.5 GW of planned capacity additions across 82 countries.
• The global geothermal industry is projected to reach 18.4 GW by 2021, though it could potentially reach 32 GW by the early 2030s if all countries meet their development targets.
• Only 6% to 7% of the total global potential for geothermal power has been utilized based on current technology and geologic knowledge, with over 200 GWe of conventional hydrothermal potential available globally.
• The United States geothermal industry ended 2015 with approximately 3.7 GW of installed nameplate capacity and 2.71 GW of net capacity, with growth nearly stalling in 2015.
• U.S. geothermal development is hindered by low natural gas prices and tax incentives that favor wind and solar; specifically, about 500 MW of power is stalled in Phase 3 awaiting power purchase agreements (PPAs) or financing.
• The Global Geothermal Alliance, supported by the UNFCCC and IRENA, has set a goal to increase global geothermal capacity to approximately 65 GW by 2030.
• Public financing for geothermal power in developing countries needs to increase seven to ten fold, from USD 7.4 billion to between USD 56-73 billion, to attract sufficient private investment.
• Flash technologies are the most prevalent globally, accounting for nearly two-thirds (58%) of installed capacity, followed by dry steam at 25% and binary at 16%.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2016). Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report. https://www.eesi.org/files/2016_Annual_US_Global_Geothermal_Power_Production.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report. 2016. https://www.eesi.org/files/2016_Annual_US_Global_Geothermal_Power_Production.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report |date=March 2016 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/2016_Annual_US_Global_Geothermal_Power_Production.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2016annual, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Annual U.S. \& Global Geothermal Power Production Report}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/2016_Annual_US_Global_Geothermal_Power_Production.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }