Employment Impacts of Geothermal Electric Projects (open access)

Employment Impacts of Geothermal Electric Projects

Table 1 summarizes the number of jobs associated with the development and operation of a 50 MW geothermal dual flash power system. The values shown are person years (PY) of employment for the 50 MW system. About 1500 person years (PY) of labor are incorporated in the manufacture and installation of capital components of the system. Of these, about 300 PY are local to the area of the geothermal system, and about 1200 are dispersed elsewhere in the U.S. or other countries. About 71 PY of labor per year are required for the operation of the system. Of those, about 39 PY are local to the plant, and about 32 are dispersed. The total person years of labor over the entire life cycle of such a system, assuming a 30-year operational life, is on the order of 3630 person years. These include jobs during the 5 to 10 years of exploration and construction activities prior to plant start up. Of these jobs, about 1470 PY are local to the system, and about 21 60 are dispersed elsewhere.
Date: May 23, 1993
Creator: Entingh, Daniel J.
System: The UNT Digital Library