Geothermal Energy on the Agenda in New York

The President of Iceland, DOE Assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner, and Dan Reicher, Director of Google.org Climate Change Initiative, speaking at a Geothermal Renewable Energy Workshop organised by Glitnir and GEA.

Demonstrating the widespread support for renewable, geothermal energy, the President of Iceland as well as officials of the current Bush and former Clinton Administrations are scheduled to speak at a workshop in New York City, July 23rd.

Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner and former Assistant Secretary Dan Reicher (now Google.org Director for Climate Change and Energy Initiatives) are both on the agenda for the event. The keynote luncheon speaker will be the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) together with Ormat and Glitnir Capital Corp. will host a geothermal energy finance and development workshop at the Ritz-Carlton, Battery Park in New York City on Wednesday, July 23rd to introduce geothermal energy to the NYC finance community. The event will feature an all-star cast of expert presenters from leading companies in the geothermal industry.

The workshop, entitled “Geothermal 101-The Hottest Clean Energy Source,” will include morning sessions in which leading professionals will cover the basics of geothermal energy. In the afternoon, presentations will include an overview of the world and U.S. geothermal markets, an interactive finance panel with top geothermal financiers and developers, and a showcase of companies developing new projects and technologies. Among companies participating are: Glitnir Capital Corp., (capital arm of Nordic bank Glitnir), Ormat, Google.org, MidAmerican Energy, EGS Inc., ThermaSource, U.S. Renewables Group, Merrill Lynch, GeothermEx, UTC Power, Terra-Gen Power, Western GeoPower, Raser Technologies, Iceland America Energy, Geysir Green Energy, Vulcan Power, and Enel North America.

Geothermal energy today provides power in California, Nevada, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, and Alaska. According to GEA, more than 80 new geothermal power projects are being built in 12 states. When completed, these projects will represent an investment of over $11 billion and more than double U.S. geothermal power production. In 2006, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory issued separate reports estimating that geothermal energy could potentially provide over 100,000 MW of electric power.