8. Conclusion

Generally speaking, geothermal energy is a relatively recent development, and its technology was initially largely inspired by the oil industry.

Geothermal energy may be less well known than other renewable energies such as solar, wind or biomass, and certainly less in the media spotlight, but it has a number of advantages.

It covers a wide range of uses.

High- and medium-energy geothermal resources can be used to generate electricity for both existing grids and isolated areas, at very competitive costs compared with those obtained with more conventional energy sources. This business is present in more than twenty countries, both industrialized and developing. In 2007, the world's installed power capacity was around 8,900 MW, making it the fourth largest renewable energy source of electricity generation, behind hydro,...