20 GW of Geothermal Power Potential in Japan

 
According to a government report mentioned in a New York Times article, Japan has 20 GW of geothermal energy potential.

Currently, the country has 17 geothermal plants in operation producing about 535 MW. About 80% of the potential geothermal sites are located in national parks or monuments. Right now, nine such locations have geothermal plants, so perhaps there is hope new ones can be sited in sensitive areas anyway, though with appropriate caution and planning. (A large geothermal project is already being built in Fukushima Prefecture at a national park site.)

A huge clean energy push is taking place in Japan, led by very high feed-in tariffs. 24.9 GW of solar and wind power could be developed by as early as 2016, according to a report.

Image Credit: Si-take, Wiki Commons