Global geothermal capacity totals 15,399 MW with annual generation at 101 TWh. These figures remain modest next to solar and wind yet show consistent additions across leading markets. The data that follows breaks down capacity, costs, environmental metrics, and regional potential.
Key Takeaways
- Global installed geothermal power capacity reached 15,399 MW by the end of 2022, representing a 3.3% increase from 2021
- Levelized cost of geothermal electricity averaged $0.056/kWh globally in 2022
- Greenhouse gas emissions from geothermal are 38 gCO2eq/kWh, vs coal 820 g
- Global theoretical geothermal potential exceeds 200,000 GW
- Binary cycle efficiency 10-13%, capturing 85% thermal energy without emissions
Geothermal energy generated steady power worldwide, highlighting its growing role in reliable low carbon electricity.
Related reading
01 · Category
Capacity And Generation30 stats
01
Global installed geothermal power capacity reached 15,399 MW by the end of 2022, representing a 3.3% increase from 2021
02
The United States had 3,768 MW of geothermal power capacity installed as of 2022, accounting for 24.5% of global total
03
Indonesia's geothermal capacity stood at 2,356 MW in 2022, making it the second-largest producer worldwide
04
In 2022, geothermal power plants generated 101 TWh globally, up from 92.2 TWh in 2021
05
Turkey added 104 MW of geothermal capacity in 2022, bringing its total to 1,616 MW
06
New Zealand's geothermal installed capacity was 1,016 MW at the end of 2022, generating about 8% of the country's electricity
07
Kenya's geothermal capacity reached 953 MW in 2022, supplying over 45% of its electricity needs
08
Iceland derived 25% of its total primary energy supply from geothermal sources in 2022, with 755 MW electric capacity
09
The Geysers in California, the largest geothermal complex, has a capacity of 725 MW as of 2023
10
Philippines had 1,928 MW geothermal capacity in 2022, second globally in generation at 10.5 TWh
11
Global geothermal heat production was 107,722 TJ in 2020, used mainly for heating
12
Italy's Larderello geothermal field has been producing since 1904, with current capacity of 800 MW from 34 plants
13
Mexico's geothermal capacity is 963 MW, primarily from Cerro Prieto (720 MW) as of 2022
14
Japan's geothermal capacity was 541 MW in 2022, despite high potential of 23 GW
15
Ethiopia commissioned 150 MW geothermal at Aluto Langano in 2022, total now 202 MW
16
Germany's geothermal electricity capacity grew to 48 MW by end-2022 with new plants
17
Hungary's geothermal capacity for power is 10 MW, but heat capacity exceeds 300 MWth
18
Nevada, USA, hosts 24 geothermal plants with 674 MW capacity as of 2023
19
Hellisheidi plant in Iceland has 303 MW capacity, the largest in Europe
20
Global average capacity factor for geothermal plants is 74.5% in 2022
21
China's geothermal power capacity reached 59 MW in 2022, with plans for expansion
22
El Salvador's geothermal capacity is 204 MW, 25% of national electricity
23
Costa Rica generates 13% of electricity from 210 MW geothermal
24
Guatemala added 40 MW at Zunil in 2022, total 53 MW geothermal
25
Russia's Mutnovsky plant contributes 220 MW to 2022 capacity total of 422 MW
26
Greece's Santorini plant has 4.7 MW, part of 45 MW national total in 2022
27
Austria's 2 MW pilot plant operates at 98% availability annually
28
Slovenia's 1 MW plant at Petanjci generates continuously
29
Thailand's 0.3 MW pilot contributes to emerging capacity
30
Global geothermal capacity pipeline includes 5 GW under construction as of 2023
Interpretation
Capacity And Generation Interpretation
By the end of 2022, global geothermal capacity rose to 15,399 MW and generation climbed to 101 TWh, showing that growth in installed capacity is translating into higher electricity output.
02 · Category
Costs And Economics27 stats
01
Levelized cost of geothermal electricity averaged $0.056/kWh globally in 2022
02
In the US, geothermal LCOE ranged from $61-102/MWh in 2022 utility-scale auctions
03
Drilling costs account for 30-50% of total geothermal project capital costs, averaging $5-10 million per well
04
Indonesia's geothermal projects have LCOE of $0.07/kWh, competitive with coal at $0.08/kWh
05
Capacity factor of 90% leads to geothermal having lowest LCOE among baseload renewables at $49/MWh globally
06
US geothermal exploration costs average $1,000-5,000 per hectare for geophysical surveys
07
Operation and maintenance costs for geothermal plants are $0.01-0.03/kWh, lower than fossil fuels
08
Binary cycle plants have higher upfront costs of $2,500-5,000/kW due to lower temperatures
09
Payback period for geothermal investments averages 8-12 years at 7% discount rate
10
Global geothermal investment reached $4.5 billion in 2022 for capacity additions
11
In Kenya, geothermal projects cost $2-3 million/MW installed
12
Subsurface risks inflate financing costs by 2-4% interest premium for geothermal
13
Heat pump geothermal systems cost $15,000-25,000 for residential installation
14
Turkey's geothermal drilling costs reduced 20% to $4.5M/well via tech improvements
15
LCOE for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) projected at $0.05-0.10/kWh by 2030
16
Iceland's geothermal district heating costs $0.02/kWh thermal, lowest globally
17
US tax credit PTC for geothermal is $0.026/kWh, reducing effective LCOE by 25%
18
Capital cost for flash plants is $2,200/kW, dry steam $1,900/kW, binary $4,100/kW in US
19
Global average geothermal CAPEX fell 22% from 2010-2022 to $3,200/kW
20
New Zealand geothermal projects financed at 5-7% IRR over 25 years
21
Exploration success rate 30-50% leads to $20-50M risk per project
22
Italy's Enel Green Power reports O&M at 1.5% of CAPEX annually
23
Chile's LCOE for geothermal is $80/MWh, viable vs gas at $90/MWh
24
Direct use geothermal saves 20-40% on heating costs vs fossil alternatives
25
EGS pilot costs $30M for 5 MW demo, targeting $50/kW CAPEX long-term
26
Geothermal royalties average 10-20% of revenues in US leases
27
Lifetime revenue per MW geothermal ~$300M at $50/MWh over 30 years
Interpretation
Costs And Economics Interpretation
Geothermal’s costs remain highly competitive because its LCOE averages $0.056 per kWh globally in 2022 and benefits from a 90% capacity factor, while drilling is the main cost pressure at 30 to 50% of capital costs averaging $5 to 10 million per well.
03 · Category
Environmental And Sustainability Metrics30 stats
01
Greenhouse gas emissions from geothermal are 38 gCO2eq/kWh, vs coal 820 g
02
Geothermal land use is 1.2-5.6 acres/GWh-yr, lowest among renewables except hydro
03
Global geothermal avoids 70 MtCO2 annually, equivalent to 15 million cars off road
04
Water usage for geothermal is 1.7 gal/MWh evaporated, much less than coal's 600 gal/MWh
05
Iceland's geothermal provides 90% heating, reducing oil imports by 400,000 tons/year
06
Induced seismicity risk managed; <1% projects cause notable quakes >2.5 magnitude
07
Geothermal reservoirs naturally recharge at 10-20% annually in mature fields
08
H2S emissions controlled to <1 mg/m3 at stack, vs natural volcanic 100s mg/m3
09
Life-cycle emissions 15-55 gCO2/kWh for geothermal, comparable to wind 11 g
10
Kenya's geothermal displaces 1.2 MtCO2/year, 40% of national mitigation target
11
Subsidence minimal at <1 cm/year with reinjection practices
12
Biodiversity impact low; <0.1% land disturbance per MW vs solar 10%
13
Geothermal provides stable baseload, reducing fossil backup emissions by 30%
14
New Zealand's geothermal avoids 3 MtCO2e/year, 15% national total
15
Thermal plume dilution in reinjection >99% within 1 km, no aquifer impact
16
Noise levels at geothermal sites <50 dB at 300m, compliant with WHO standards
17
US geothermal facilities emit 0.1-0.5% of SO2 vs coal plants normalized
18
Resource sustainability >50 years for 80% fields with proper management
19
Land restoration post-decommissioning achieves 95% native vegetation recovery
20
Hydrogen sulfide scrubbed to 100 ppm, abated by 99% efficiency
21
Flash plant consumptive water use 5.3 L/MWh, binary closed-loop 0 L/MWh
22
Global geothermal supports UN SDG 13, avoiding 0.5% annual emissions growth
23
Trace metals like As, Hg below 0.01 mg/L in reinjected brine
24
Visual impact mitigated; plants blend with 70% underground components
25
Geothermal contributes 0.01% to global water stress vs nuclear 3.7%
26
CO2 utilization in mineralization captures 1,000 tons/year per MW
27
Seismic monitoring reduces risk; events <M1.5 in 95% operations
28
EGS closed-loop systems zero surface footprint emissions
29
Geothermal brine reinjection recycles 90-100% produced water
30
Lifetime waste minimal; 0.2 tons/MWh vs coal 1.2 tons/MWh
Interpretation
Environmental And Sustainability Metrics Interpretation
Geothermal energy shows a clear environmental advantage with greenhouse gas emissions of just 38 gCO2eq per kWh and far lower water use at 1.7 gallons per MWh evaporated, making it a strong choice within environmental and sustainability metrics.
More related reading
04 · Category
Regional And Global Distribution28 stats
01
Global theoretical geothermal potential exceeds 200,000 GW
02
Indonesia holds 29% of world geothermal potential at 23.7 GW
03
US resource base 500 GWe for electricity, plus 5M MWth direct use
04
East African Rift hosts 15 GW potential, Kenya 10 GW, Ethiopia 5 GW
05
Ring of Fire accounts for 75% global potential, 90% current capacity
06
Turkey's potential 4 GW electric, 60 GWth thermal
07
China has 870 GW potential, largest undeveloped globally
08
Latin America potential 7.5 GW, Chile 4.7 GW leader
09
Australia-New Zealand rift 30 GW shared potential
10
Italy's Tuscany region 5-10 GW potential, 10% developed
11
Philippines potential 4.8 GW, 40% developed
12
Iceland utilizes 0.7 GW of 5 GW potential, 100% renewable grid
13
Japan potential 23 GW, constrained by national parks 70%
14
Mexico potential 3.4 GW, Baja California 1.5 GW hot spot
15
New Zealand potential 4 GW electric, 30% developed
16
Russia Kamchatka Peninsula 2 GW potential, 20% used
17
Kenya Olkaria fields 2.5 GW potential
18
India Himalayan belt 10 GW potential
19
Europe total potential 800 TWh/year thermal
20
Canada British Columbia 5 GW potential
21
Nevada, USA, 15 GW EGS potential added to conventional 0.5 GW
22
Greece Aegean islands 1 GW potential
23
Hungary Pannonian basin 3 GWth
24
El Salvador Berlin field 1 GW potential
25
Papua New Guinea 1 GW potential undeveloped
26
Iran 2 GW potential in Sabalan
27
Chile Andes 4.7 GW, 50 sites identified
28
Djibouti Afar depression 1 GW potential
Interpretation
Regional And Global Distribution Interpretation
Geothermal’s regional and global distribution is dominated by a few hotspots, with the Ring of Fire holding 75% of global potential and 90% of current capacity while countries outside this belt like Turkey still show large untapped thermal strength with 60 GWth alongside 4 GW electric.
05 · Category
Technology And Efficiency Stats27 stats
01
Binary cycle efficiency 10-13%, capturing 85% thermal energy without emissions
02
Flash steam plants achieve 15-20% gross efficiency at >180°C resources
03
Supercritical geothermal pilots target 450°C for 20%+ efficiency gain
04
EGS fracture permeability enhanced 100x via hydraulic stim
05
Directional drilling success rate 95%, reducing well costs 30%
06
ORC binary tech operates at 70-150°C, up 50% from past limits
07
Fiber optic DTS measures temp profiles real-time, accuracy ±0.1°C
08
Supercritical CO2 cycles boost efficiency 10% over water steam
09
AI predictive maintenance cuts downtime 20%, O&M 15%
10
Wellbore heat exchangers (WBHE) extract heat without production, 99% uptime
11
Microseismic monitoring localizes events ±10m accuracy
12
Kalina cycle efficiency 5% higher than ORC for low-temp resources
13
Polymer injection sustains permeability 2x longer in EGS
14
Downhole pumps lift brine at 500 gpm, 2,000m depth
15
3D seismic resolution 25m, success rate +25% exploration
16
Nanotech tracers detect flow paths 1 ppb sensitivity
17
Closed-loop transcritical CO2 systems net 7% efficiency at 100°C
18
Electrospray scaling removal 99% effective, no chemicals
19
Hybrid solar-geothermal boosts output 30% peak hours
20
Deep learning models predict injectivity 85% accuracy
21
Multilateral wells increase productivity index 3x
22
Reservoir simulation couples thermo-hydro-mechanical, error <5%
23
Acid fracturing enhances permeability 10-50 darcy
24
Wireless sensors transmit data 3km, battery 10 years
25
Flash-binary hybrid efficiency 22%, best for 150-200°C
26
Muon tomography maps density ±1%, non-invasive
27
Advanced scaling inhibitors reduce downtime 50%
Interpretation
Technology And Efficiency Stats Interpretation
Geothermal technology is steadily improving efficiency with standout gains like binary cycle systems capturing 85% of thermal energy at 10 to 13% efficiency and enhanced EGS permeability rising 100x, showing that efficiency progress is being driven by better conversion cycles and breakthroughs in reservoir access.
report visual · Comparison
Geothermal is expanding—generation and capacity rise
Global geothermal generation increased from 2021 to 2022, alongside a rise in installed capacity.
In 2022, geothermal power plants generated 101 TWh globally, up from 92.2 TWh in 20212022
The United States had 3,768 MW of geothermal power capacity installed as of 2022, accounting for 24.5% of global total
24.5%
Global installed geothermal power capacity reached 15,399 MW by the end of 2022, representing a 3.3% increase from 2021
3.3%
Reference
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Geothermal Energy Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/geothermal-energy-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Geothermal Energy Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/geothermal-energy-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Geothermal Energy Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/geothermal-energy-statistics.
Sources & references
77 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level