RENO, Nev. (AP) -- More than 1,000 experts and entrepreneurs gathered at an international conference on geothermal energy in Reno today -- about 40 percent more than attended last year's conference.
Speakers to the overflow crowd said that an unusual combination of economic and environmental forces have created a "perfect storm" that could help geothermal shed its back-seat status to renewable cousins wind and solar energy.
The conditions were cited by a variety of state and federal regulators, as well as executives of oil companies, investor-owned utilities and private developers.
They said the financial meltdown on Wall Street, soaring oil prices, the volatility of the natural gas market, concern about global warming and a new administration in the White House on the horizon all are driving increasing demand for the energy produced by harnessing heat from beneath the earth's surface.
Add to My Watchlist
What is My Watchlist?