Island Nations Turn to Geothermal
Island nations generally find themselves in a very interesting position with respect to energy generation. In particular, they certainly don’t want dirty fossil fuel plants, normally burning bunker diesel shipped in at great cost, both financially and environmentally. But their choice of renewables is often constrained by the small and therefore extremely precious land mass.
Let’s not forget about a solution that unfortunately is often overlooked: geothermal. Here’s an article on what the French territory of Guadalupe is doing in the Caribbean. An interview with the spokesperson at Ormat, btw, was the basis for the chapter on geothermal in my first book, Renewable Energy–Facts and Fantasies.
There are places in the world where geothermal generation of electricity may be practical although that has yet to be determined for certain. Surely research and implementation should continue.
Problems are that geothermal systems require parts that will not be damaged by highly corrosive salts at high temperatures. Also, the capacity of some geothermal wells is limited and cooling of the source may be a problem as heat is extracted. Even so, geothermal systems could prove to be an important source of power, especially for some small island countries where the choice of reliable and economical power sources is limited.