Although geothermal energy will not in the foreseeable future meet but a few percent of the total energy consumption of the world, it is of great importance to many of the individual countries that harness it. An example of this is Iceland, which has no oil, gas or coal reserves, and meets about one-third of its energy needs with geothermal energy. Because of the nature of the geological processes concerned, many parts of the world which are without oil reserves have geothermal potential. Geothermal research is now under way in about 60 countries. Most of these are developing countries.
Geothermal development requires specialists from many scientific disciplines.
It does not require much manpower, but a dedicated group of highly skilled individuals is needed. Because of its diversity, geothermal energy research is not taught as a separate subject at universities, but is a filed where practical training is required at post-graduate level.