Geothermal Energy Archives

Busting Geothermal Myths: The Promise & Limits of Deep Closed Loop & Enhanced Systems

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 23:52:55 +0000

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down Simon Todd, PhD geologist, founder of Causeway Energies, and expert on geothermal. This is the transcript of the second half of our conversation, lightly edited. Michael Barnard [MB]: Hi, welcome back to Redefining Energy — Tech. This episode is powered by TFIE ... [continued]

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Deep Fission To Build Nuclear Power Plants Below The Surface Of The Earth

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:40:24 +0000

Deep Fission has a great idea. Let's put small nuclear power plants a mile underground, where they are completely safe.

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Ireland’s Ardnacrusha Moment, Again: A Blueprint for Full Electrification

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 23:33:10 +0000

In recent months I’ve been assisting with strategy for a couple of emerging European NGOs on key decarbonization acceleration approaches, and one of the key participants asked me an interesting question this morning. This piece answers the question. The first NGO is Supergrid Europe, a Brussels-based organization which will be ... [continued]

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Jane Austen, Directional Drilling & Dublin: Geothermal Lessons With Simon Todd

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 23:30:02 +0000

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Simon Todd, PhD, geologist, expert in geothermal, founder of Causeway Energies, and Irishman, not necessarily in that order, to talk all aspects of geothermal. Despite being often far underground, it’s having a moment in the sun right now, hence a recent ... [continued]

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Data Center Energy Demand Will Not Save The US Coal Industry

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:48:49 +0000

Data center energy demand is soaring, but a new report indicates that competition from renewables, gas, and nuclear energy will shrink the opportunities for coal stakeholders.

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Geothermal’s Moment—and Its Messengers, Mirages, and Models

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 20:49:35 +0000

The geothermal series is done, and if you’ve been following along, you’ll know it’s been a mix of cautious optimism, heavy sighs, and the occasional full-body cringe at some of the more outlandish claims. Geothermal is, at long last, getting a bit of attention—but, as always, when something is “having ... [continued]

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Can Geothermal Cooling Tame Data Centers’ Energy Appetite?

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:42:02 +0000

The world is increasingly run by data centers — huge, anonymous buildings that gobble up electricity and belch heat like angry dragons. Each click, stream, or swipe piles up more data in racks upon racks of humming servers. Yet few people realize just how thirsty these data dragons really are. ... [continued]

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US Geothermal Energy Startup Pre-Qualified By US Air Force, Eyes Scaleup

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 03:42:59 +0000

The geothermal energy innovator XGS Energy is stepping into commercial production following laboratory and field tests, with an endorsement from the US Air Force to boot.

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92.5% of New Power Capacity Added Worldwide in 2024 Was from Renewables

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:46:41 +0000

How much is renewable energy dominating new power capacity worldwide? That’s how much! 92.5% of new power capacity added to the grid in 2024 came from renewable energy sources. This is not even a competition anymore. And that’s great, because we’re still running behind schedule when it comes to decarbonizing ... [continued]

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How China’s Sinopec Is Escaping The Gas Utility Death Spiral — And Why The West Should Follow

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:44:41 +0000

When Sinopec, China’s sprawling petroleum giant, decided to start drilling geothermal wells instead of oil wells, it was initially greeted with skepticism. Geothermal? Renewable energy? Surely not the first place you’d expect an oil-and-gas colossus to stake its future. But Sinopec wasn’t dabbling. True to form, the company went straight ... [continued]

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Geothermal & Heat Pumps Are Quietly Undermining Fossil Industrial Heat

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 18:19:52 +0000

Industrial heat has always been the awkward uncle at the decarbonization dinner table. Loud, a bit old-fashioned, and responsible for about 20% of global carbon emissions, but nobody really wants to talk about him. The climate conversation has been dominated by glitzier topics like electric vehicles and green hydrogen, the ... [continued]

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Deep Geothermal Energy Production Progress in Utah

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 16:48:24 +0000

Mark Z. Jacobson has proposed converting the entire energy production of the world to clean energy. He regards “Wind, Water, and Solar” (WWS) as the only methods that can do this practically, quickly, and economically. Of those, hydroelectric power is the only relatively continuous source, but it cannot be easily ... [continued]

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Clean Energy Investors Can Take Their Money Anywhere

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:30:35 +0000

With US energy policy in a state of flux, US clean energy investors are picking up their money and taking it overseas.

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China Is Scaling Geothermal District Heating & The World Should Pay Attention

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 22:15:45 +0000

When China starts scaling a technology at massive levels, the rest of the world should take notice. That’s not a geopolitical statement, it’s a thermodynamic and logistical one. China doesn’t mess around when it comes to heat, power, and infrastructure. And in the case of ground-source heat pumps used for ... [continued]

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Renewable Energy To Beat Gas For 3 More Years (Or More)

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 21:21:46 +0000

Renewable energy resources are kicking gas power plants to the curb in the US, with solar capacity additions leading the way over the next three years.

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Why Does Geothermal’s Messaging Sound Like Fossil Fuel & Nuclear’s?

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 02:28:15 +0000

One of the things I’ve found amusing while researching this series on geothermal is how much the sector’s rhetoric mirrors the natural gas and nuclear industry’s. It’s not the flex they think it is, highlighting clearly that they are the poor cousins trying to compare favorably to the affluent and ... [continued]

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The Sustainability Sparks Fly When Geothermal Energy, Orphan Wells, & CAES All Come Together

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 17:22:24 +0000

A research team at Penn State University indicates that geothermal energy supports the case for repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells as long duration, compressed air energy storage systems for wind and solar power.

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Ultra-Deep Geothermal Drilling & The Rise Of Black Swan Risks

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:15:48 +0000

Deep drilling isn’t optional for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), it’s the whole point. To understand why, think of the Earth’s crust as a hot soup. Near the surface, it’s merely lukewarm, barely useful beyond warming your house if you’re lucky. Go deeper, however, and temperatures rise rapidly, roughly 25 to ... [continued]

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Enhanced Geothermal Has A Flock Of Black Swans

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:22:37 +0000

Despite being mostly underground, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are having a moment in the sun. At its core, EGS involves drilling deep into hot, solid rock formations, artificially creating permeability by fracturing the rock, and circulating fluids to harness and produce power from the Earth’s heat. Unlike conventional geothermal, which ... [continued]

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Is Closed-Loop Geothermal The Future of Heat & Power, or Just a Niche Play?

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 02:21:04 +0000

Geothermal energy has long been the quiet workhorse of the clean energy sector—steady, reliable, and utterly unsexy compared to its flashier solar and wind counterparts. It’s also been stubbornly constrained by geography. Traditional geothermal requires naturally occurring underground reservoirs of hot water and steam, which means it’s only viable in ... [continued]

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Conventional Geothermal’s Untapped Potential: What’s Holding It Back?

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 16:35:31 +0000

Conventional geothermal electrical generation, where conditions are right, is an excellent form of renewable generation. It keeps chugging along day and night, offering firmed power with some of the highest capacity factors in the business and very low emissions per MWh. Yet, despite its many advantages, geothermal often gets left ... [continued]

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Geothermal Is Having A Moment In The Sun, But Black Swans Are Casting Shade

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:29:34 +0000

For several years now, people have been asking me about enhanced or deep geothermal energy. I’ve fielded questions from readers, investors, policymakers, and fellow analysts, and it’s clear there’s renewed enthusiasm for geothermal’s potential role in our energy future. It’s time I delved into this topic comprehensively, and this article ... [continued]

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Geothermal Power In Utah, The US, & The World Compared With Other Technologies

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:26:20 +0000

I believe in the clean power bible written by Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford University. He explains why wind, water, and solar are the only practical and economical means he believes can convert the world efficiently, quickly, and economically to clean energy. He has eliminated other popular green energy items ... [continued]

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The Biggest Machine In The World Is Being Rebuilt While It Continues To Run

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:10:29 +0000

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Mark O’Malley, Leverhulme Professor of Power Systems at the Imperial College of London and founder of the Global Power System Transformation organization, which was based on the principle of grids moving toward 100% renewables. The grid is the biggest machine in ... [continued]

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US Air Force Leads Defense Dept. Into A Geothermal Energy Future

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 04:42:01 +0000

Geothermal energy is front and center in the Defense Department's efforts to improve energy security and resiliency at military facilities.

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Geothermal Energy Vs. Natural Gas: The Biggest Loser Is Trump

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 03:05:12 +0000

New geothermal energy technology is enabling reliable, 24/7 renewable energy to boldly go where no geothermal systems have gone before.

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Unleashing American Renewable Energy Dominance

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:45:59 +0000

Renewable energy is the real driver of American "energy dominance," and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy has the receipts.

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Geothermal Energy vs. Fossil Fuels: Be Careful What You Wish For

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:22:47 +0000

New EGS technology has flipped the script on geothermal energy resources in the US, opening up new opportunities across the country and around the world.

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Trump Already Whiffing On “American Energy Dominance,” With One Exception

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:37:18 +0000

With geothermal energy sniffing at their heels, US fossil energy stakeholders may come to regret their part in unleashing the American Energy Dominance hounds.

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Experts Anticipate Renewable Energy Will Overrun Trump’s Dopey “Energy Dominance” Policy

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 04:06:51 +0000

So much winning! Renewable energy in general, and solar energy in particular, will overrun the dopey "energy dominance" policy expressed by President Trump.

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Geothermal Aside, US Energy Policy Gets Dumb And Dumber Every Day

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:27:35 +0000

Fossil fuels face a new threat from the US geothermal energy industry, which stands to benefit from the purportedly fossil-friendly Trump administration.

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Introducing GeoBridge, a New Launch Point for Geothermal Information

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 04:20:03 +0000

A New Web Portal Developed by NREL and DOE Connects More Communities to Geothermal If you have ever struggled to find geothermal degree programs, conferences, trade associations, tax incentives, or other geothermal information, you are not alone. “The geothermal industry has been around for decades and is a well-established community ... [continued]

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To Lower Emissions Or Increase Profits? That Is The Question

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 20:56:55 +0000

Is the world really at a crossroads of energy consumption choices? We know that fossil fuels — the old and worn trio of coal, oil, and natural gas — have powered our world for a very long time, but they have also comprised nearly 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. ... [continued]

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Borobotics Unveils Autonomous Drill For Geothermal Applications

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 21:10:48 +0000

Borobotics, a Swiss startup company, has created a compact boring machine that is compact enough to be used almost anywhere.

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$19 Million to Expand Regional Geothermal Data in USA

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 04:45:10 +0000

The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), in partnership with ConnectWerx, has launched a funding opportunity for regional partnerships to support geothermal data collection. The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) in collaboration with ConnectWerx, a Partnership Intermediary under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) through DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, has opened an initial funding ... [continued]

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Oil & Gas Frackers Love New Enhanced Geothermal Energy Systems

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:57:04 +0000

The emerging field of enhanced geothermal energy is providing oil and gas frackers with an opportunity to use their power for decarbonization, not extraction.

The post Oil & Gas Frackers Love New Enhanced Geothermal Energy Systems appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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Geothermal Research Funding Opportunity in USA

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 04:52:15 +0000

The DOE’s SBIR and STTR programs have announced funding for FY25 Phase I Release 2 projects focused on geothermal heating, cooling, and enhanced geothermal systems. On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs released the FY25 Phase I ... [continued]

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US Air Force Pursues Green Hydrogen Via Geothermal Energy

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 16:55:28 +0000

The US Department of Defense is pursuing next-generation geothermal energy systems that can produce zero emission electricity and green hydrogen, too.

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Fervo Energy’s Update Shows Enhanced Geothermal Is Hot (Literally)!

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:35:55 +0000

Fervo Energy is shaking things up in geothermal energy, showcasing some big wins over the last month, bringing some cool, next-gen tech to the heat beneath our feet. At CleanTechnica, we have been covering Fervo Energy for over 4 years, but this is my first article about the company. If ... [continued]

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World-First Geothermal Energy System Heading For US Air Force

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:15:18 +0000

Human-made enhanced geothermal energy systems can make 24/7, baseload, zero emission geothermal resources available across a wider range of geological conditions.

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Ford Has A Huge, Honking Renewable Energy Trick Up Its Sleeve

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:19:31 +0000

Ford has a plan to hook up EV and hybrid EV drivers in the US with low-cost renewable energy, through a new vehicle-to-grid platform called ChargeScape in partnership with BMW and Honda.

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A Typical EV Is ~90% Efficient, Compared To 30% For A Gas Vehicle, & More EV, Clean Energy, & Science News

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 03:24:13 +0000

A typical EV is 87% to 91% efficient (after accounting for regenerative braking), compared to approximately 30% for a normal gasoline vehicle, depending on the drive cycle. That is something to consider every time you buy or rent an automobile. For the second time in its 179-year history, Scientific American ... [continued]

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25 New Coastal, Remote, & Island Communities Join Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 03:48:21 +0000

Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) will engage communities in energy planning, natural disaster preparedness, and analysis of renewable technologies, including solar, wind, battery storage, and heat pumps. Leer en español Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) welcomed 25 new coastal, remote, and island communities to the Energy Transitions ... [continued]

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NREL’s Economic Impact Hits $1.9 Billion

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 03:43:04 +0000

The economic impact of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) topped $1.9 billion nationwide in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, according to a study by the University of Colorado Boulder’s (CU Boulder’s) Leeds School of Business. Every state in the nation felt an impact from direct or ... [continued]

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Single-Well, High-Output Enhance Geothermal (“DGS”) — In Depth

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:44:16 +0000

Greetings, serious geothermal supporters. This letter to the editor addresses articles touting the baseload, climate impact, and large-scale PPA capabilities of hot dry rock geothermal (HDR) systems, in particular Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The letter also answers increasing recognition by government, investors, offtakers, and clean energy proponents for the needs ... [continued]

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