| Abstract |
Geothermal project characteristics and the conditions needed for success along with the various steps in developing a project are discussed. Geothermal policy in the U.S. started with the California Geothermal Resources Act of 1967 and the Federal Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. Various states followed defining a geothermal resource as either mineral, water, sui generis, heat or a combination of these. Federal incentives began with the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1979 (PURPA), followed by the Investment Tax Credits (ITC) and Production Tax Credits (PTC). State incentives began with the Renewable Portfolio Standards in the 1990s, and various Renewable Energy Credits. Federal risk reduction policies to encourage geothermal development included the Geothermal Loan Guarantee Program in 1975 (GLGP), the User Coupled Drilling Program (UCDP), the Program Research and Development Announcement (PURDA), and the Program Opportunity Notice (PON) that provided funding for 23 direct-use projects in the late 1970s and early 1980s. More recently the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was funded to approximately $400 million for a variety of geothermal projects. To provide support to the various federal and state geothermal projects, the Geo-Heat Center at Oregon Institute of Technology was funded by USDOE Geothermal Technologies Office for over 25 years to provide technical assistance, preliminary feasibility studies and information dissemination of various successful projects throughout the United States. Other universities funded by USDOE-GTP for provide assistance for geothermal projects included Utah (EGI), Southern Methodist University, Stanford, MIT/Cornell and University of Nevada, Reno. |