Data Table: Installed Geothermal Capacity
Cumulative installed capacity of geothermal energy, measured in megawatts
| Country | Installed Geothermal Energy Capacity, 2000 (MW) | Installed Geothermal Energy Capacity, 2024 (MW) | Relative Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chile | X | 84 | X |
| China | 22 | 26 | +19% |
| Iceland | 172 | 788 | +385% |
| Indonesia | 525 | 2,639 | +403% |
| Italy | 590 | 772 | +31% |
| Japan | 533 | 489 | -8% |
| Kenya | 58 | 940 | +1,520% |
| Mexico | 843 | 999 | +18% |
| New Zealand | 418 | 1,275 | +205% |
| Phillipines | 1,847 | 1,952 | +6% |
| Russia | 23 | 81 | +254% |
| Türkiye | 18 | 1,734 | +9,535% |
| United States | 2,793 | 2,725 | -2% |
Source: Our World In Data
Instructions: Study the data table above to answer the questions.
Question 1: Which countries likely made developing geothermal energy a national priority, based on their dramatic increases in capacity from 2000 to 2024? What evidence supports this?
Question 2: Which country shows the greatest decrease in capacity from 2000 to 2024, despite having one of the highest capacities in 2000? What might this suggest about the energy trends or policies there?
Question 3: Which countries appear to have expanded geothermal capacity steadily but not dramatically, and what might this suggest about their approach to developing geothermal energy?
Question 4: Based on this data, which countries might be emerging as future global leaders in geothermal energy, and why?
Question 5: Which country had a surprisingly small increase, even though it already had a large capacity in 2000? What might explain this?