Liangyu Xia, Yabo Zhang,

An overview of world geothermal power generation and a case study on China—The

resource and market perspective,
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,
Volume 112,
2019,
Pages 411-423,
ISSN 1364-0321,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.05.058.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032119303818)
Abstract: The development of geothermal power generation in recent years has not
given cause for optimism, and the reasons behind this situation are complicated.
Nevertheless, if the global geothermal power generation market is studied, some
interesting phenomena are revealed. First, the development of geothermal power
generation around the world is unbalanced and highly correlated with the
distribution of geothermal resources; therefore, the geothermal power generation
potential in each country is examined and candidate countries are selected to
analyze this unbalanced global development. Further, considering that the
exploitation of energy does not rest solely on resource endowment and that the
market is a critical factor, the factors that may influence the market are
identified by studying the history of global geothermal power generation. Although
the influencing factors in each country are not the same, the analysis indicates
that factors such as a country's energy strategy, energy resource location, and the
sustainable development of geothermal resources play critical roles in the
development of geothermal power generation. Finally, the resource endowment is
jointly considered with the main factors that influence the market to create a
well-organized analytical framework for other researchers. The proposed analytical
framework is then applied to make a tentative preliminary judgment about the
development of geothermal power generation in China. The analysis shows that China
has considerable potential for geothermal power generation; however, the
development prospects under the current conditions are not promising.
Keywords: Geothermal power generation; Potential; Market factors; China