Geothermal energy could power Australian jobs

Come 2050, more than 17,000 Australians could be working in the geothermal energy industry, according to a new report from WWF and the Australian Geothermal Energy Association.

The report is the first in a series that looks at the potential renewable energy technologies hold to deliver clean power, employment and investment in Australia.

WWF and the Australian Geothermal Energy Association are advocating for the Australian government to support the renewable energy industry and help boost employment and clean power. The government’s current plan favors cheaper, existing technologies over geothermal, according to a news release.

However, in 2008, the Australian state of Victoria issued a request for proposals for AU$182 million (USD$119 million) in pre-commercial cleantech projects to be implemented through 2015 in solar, geothermal, biomass, wave and storage (see Australia taking bids for $182M in early cleantech projects). 

“We have an opportunity to develop a massive, emissions-free energy source that can power Australia’s homes and businesses, while growing jobs,” said Paul Toni, WWF’s program leader for sustainable development in the release.

He cites the potential of harvesting geothermal energy from Australia’s hot rocks, near the earth’s surface. Australia’s geothermal industry is growing with about 400 geothermal tenements nationwide and $1.5 billion in work programs underway, according to the report.

In particular, Cooper Basin, a sedimentary geological area located mainly in the northeastern South Australia and extending into southwestern Queensland, holds energy potential, according to the report. And it’s an area companies like Sydney, Australia-based Origin Energy are already tapping into. In 2008, the company upped its investment in a geothermal joint venture it owns with Milton, Australia's Geodynamics (see Origin Energy puts more cash into geothermal venture).

By 2050, the report states, geothermal energy could cut one-quarter of emissions coming from electricity generation. It also estimates if 1 percent of Australia's geothermal energy was utilized, it could provide more than 26,000 times the country’s annual energy consumption.

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