FINANCIAL AND COMMUNITY HURDLES SLOW GEOTHERMAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Providing round-the-clock energy, using minimal space and considered a clean source of power — geothermal energy seems like an ideal option for countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where the potential is high, and governments are seeking to transition away from highly polluting fossil fuels.

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Yet most of the potential of geothermal energy, created by harnessing heat produced by the earth from underground reservoirs of hot water to power turbines that generate electricity, remains untapped in these countries and across the world — as financial, regulatory and community roadblocks have stalled growth.

More readily available financing and domestic regulatory changes are starting to address these barriers, but experts say more should be done to unlock the vast clean energy source trapped just beneath the Earth’s surface.

Countries with high geothermal potential — such as the United States, Indonesia and the Philippines — are usually located close to tectonically active regions where hot water or steam is naturally carried to the Earth’s surface through volcanic activity, or can be accessed by shallow drilling.

“We’re essentially standing on our own sun, which we can get clean, reliable energy from,” said Marit Brommer, CEO of the International Geothermal Association based in Germany.

Experts also laud geothermal plants for their ability to operate continuously to meet the minimum level of power demanded around-theclock, unaffected by weather, with long lifespans and minimal maintenance.

As countries shift towards renewable and cleaner energy, geothermal use is expected to grow: In Southeast Asia, geothermal power generation is expected to increase tenfold from 2020 to 2050, reaching 276 million megawatt-hours, according to the International Energy Agency.