| Abstract |
A total of nine small business ventures, artistic endeavors and experiments have been funded by the Community Geothermal Technology Program (CGTP) in Hawaii. The program provides small grants for precomerical enterprises utilizing geothermal heat and by products. These grants are the first, and , thus far, the only direct heat user in Hawaii; their efforts have encouraged others to consider the ample heat resource in the Puna District. The next step toward full commercialization is the establishment of a geothermal "mini park" which will be sited immediately next to the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii's Puna Geothermal Facility and which will use hot brines from the laboratory. This incubator wills service at least ten direct heat businesses, with geothermal heat being provided at a cost well below that of conventional sources. |