More money has been dished out to support alternative energy markets. Per this blog in the Wall Street Journal, geothermal energy is the latest beneficiary, with more than $300 million in grants handed out by the government this week to support development in this area.
In a September survey of MDM readers, about 85% of respondents say they are serving alternative energy markets in one way or another. A quarter of respondents said they served geothermal markets.
As reported in MDM’s report, Alternative Energy Markets: To Serve or Not to Serve?, geothermal markets have seen rapid growth in recent years. A report in early 2008 from the Geothermal Energy Association showed new geothermal power projects had increased by 25% from August of 2008 to March 2009. Overall production potential was up by 35%.
With continued government support, this growth will likely continue. Some distributors are taking advantage and finding ways to serve these markets that fit their business models.
