Geothermal is a clean and renewable energy resource that can potentially contribute to solving the present climate change emergency and the evolving crises it creates. Additional pressure comes from governments and the business community to make sustainability an imperative for all programs and projects. Amid these disruptions, the world has turned to renewable energy, including geothermal, as a major solution. In preparation for this role, this chapter discusses the environmental and sociocultural benefits and challenges of geothermal power generation as well as measures to manage risks and capture opportunities while supporting sustainable development. It further prescribes protocols and instruments for environmentally sound and socially responsible geothermal operations. Finally, the geothermal best practices and innovations inventoried in this chapter indicate the feasibility of harmonizing geothermal technology with the environmental and sociocultural attributes of various worksites.
Elsevier, Agnes C. de Jesus, 18 - Environmental and Sociocultural Benefits and Challenges Associated with Geothermal Power Generation, Editors: Ronald DiPippo, Luis C.A. Gutiérrez-Negrín, Andrew Chiasson, Geothermal Power Generation: Developments and Innovation (Second Edition), Elsevier Science Ltd (Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy), 2025, Pages 533-570.
