St. Lucia Signs Geothermal Energy Deal

Volcanos, as you know, generate a lot of heat. And that's good news for countries like St. Lucia, which recently inked a deal to develop a geothermal energy plant that not only could meet the island's own energy needs but generate income via energy exports.

Triplepundit reported Aug. 10 that the planned geothermal plant could be generating 12 megawatts of energy by 2012 and 108 mw by 2015, allowing power to be sold to neighboring Martinique. Currently, St. Lucia needs about 56 mw of energy, most of which comes from burning diesel. So, not only will this deal make the island less dependent on tourism, it could result in a much cleaner destination for St. Lucia and Martinique visitors.