| Title | Publicising Geothermal Energy |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hanley, B., and Mahon, W. A. J. |
| Year | 1992 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | Each year the Geothermal Institute at the University of Auckland holds a workshop on geothermal energy. This appears to be the only time and the only forum where this form of energy, in which New Zealand is well endowed, is brought to the notice of the General Public. On the other occasions the publicity is usually negative and frequently relates to how Developers of this energy form are destroying New ZealandÃs natural tourist attractions such as Geysers and other forms of natural activity, and a Maori Heritage. In recent months there has been a chronic shortage of power in New Zealand. This could well have been prevented by incremental development of New Zealand geothermal reserves. Electricity produced from this resource is ideally suited to base load generation and can be produced at a competitive price. This paper reviews the likely knowledge that New Zealanders have about this sort of energyand how the probable lack of knowledge is likely to influence decisions made by government and energy planners. It compares the New Zealand scenario with the image of the resource and how it is publicised in other countries particularly the USA. |