The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) agreed to cooperate in the development of advanced, cost-effective geothermal energy technologies, DOE announced Friday.
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and MBIE’s Labor, Science and Enterprise Group also plan to accelerate the availability of geothermal technologies worldwide; and identify and address wider issues relating to geothermal energy, such as induced seismicity and mineral recovery.
'The proposed areas for collaboration include the joint development and improvement of modeling tools, mineral recovery, direct use applications, and supercritical geothermal systems,' a statement read.
Currently, the U.S. is the world leader in installed geothermal capacity, with more than 3.8 gigawatts (GW) online, according to the DOE.
New Zealand, with nearly 1.07 GW of installed capacity online, is also rich with natural geothermal resources, supplying more than 17 percent of the country’s electricity, it said.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr