The geothermal industry, which involves extracting heat
stored in the earth to generate power, is growing in Australia
with almost 400 tenements for projects and around $A1.5 billion
(US$1.2 billion) in projects underway.
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) on Thursday released a report, Power to Change: Australia's Geothermal Future.
Paul Toni from WWF says the report is the first in a series looking into the potential of geothermal energy.
"The energy stored in hot rocks near the earth's surface in Australia is a thousand-fold what we use each and every year," Mr Toni said.
"We must reshape our economy and our energy sector if we are serious about tackling climate change.
"Capable of running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, geothermal energy is one of the vital clean energy resources needed to make this transformation."
He said the Cooper Basin, which overlaps the borders of Queensland, New South W