Taking the High Ground: Geothermal's Place in the Revolving Energy Market
It's a genuine privilege for me to be here today. As Dr. Mock mentioned, I have been President of California Energy for not yet three months and have a total tenure in the industry of only one year. As a newcomer to the industry, I am honored to address this group and share my views on ''The Opportunities and Challenges for Expanding Geothermal Energy''. You will see that my outlook for our industry is generally optimistic, shaped in part, perhaps by a newcomer's enthusiasm, but largely I think by my analysis of the opportunities which are open to us as an industry. Many of you and your predecessors over the last 20 years pioneered the geothermal industry in the United States. The risks were great, the results sometimes rewarding, sometimes disappointing. Government and the private sector forged an alliance that moved the industry ahead. Developers, utilities and federal land managers worked together to bring projects on line. Government helped identify geothermal areas, in many cases doing exploration work. The geothermal pioneers had to form entirely new, multi-disciplinary teams to solve problems unique to this resource. From discovery of fields, to environmental mitigation, to management of reservoirs and all of the steps in between, new teams had to be assembled. Geologists, geochemists, hydrologists, reservoir engineers and drilling technologists now apply their skills. Even anthropologists and biologists routinely get into the act in the environmental assessment phase of development. The care that our industry is taking today to do the job right reflects a maturing industry with high standards of performance. To be sure, mistakes were made in the early years, but the industry learned from them. We all know the value of responsible development and resource management to the long-term future of our industry. Improvements in technology and more efficient operations have helped lower our costs and improve our competitiveness. Our industry's progress has also been affected by outside factors. The price of and demand for electric power has fluctuated through economic cycles and changes in fuel prices. As our industry evolved and matured, we experienced a shakeout of ownership, with new companies arriving on the scene. We can be encouraged that today, some stable companies with solid projects lead in the development of the earth's natural steam. As more geothermal companies offer projects in competitive bidding, their names are becoming familiar to utility executives. Names like UNOCAL, Magma Power, Oxbow, Calpine, OESI, and yes, my company, California Energy. We compete, but we also benefit from one another's successes. Well-run, cost-effective geothermal plants elevate our small industry. We have matured from experimenting with emerging technologies to providing an established, reliable source of power.
- Research Organization:
- California Energy Company, Inc.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 891873
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-920378-3; TRN: US200622%%527
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Proceedings, Geothermal Energy and the Utility Market - The Opportunities and Challenges for Expanding Geothermal Energy in a Competitive Supply Market; San Francisco, CA, March 24-26, 1992, Geothermal Program Review X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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