Look out, nuclear power, here comes geothermal energy!

Cutting-edge tech for this ancient source of heat to play a major decarbonization role

Geothermal energy isn’t necessarily anything new, but with the global trend toward decarbonization, and substantial advances in technology have meant that it is expected to become a much more central and important source of heat and power.

The key is not to find one universal technology, but several to suit the situation

If the entire world was laid out in a way that geothermal energy could be harnessed just below the surface, it’s likely that one type of technology could serve the entire planet’s needs consistently.  However, just as there are some areas that can access the Earth’s natural heat extremely readily – such as areas near hot springs or volcanoes – others require quite a bit more strategy. Until recently, it was believed that there were areas where geothermal energy could and could not be harnessed.  Advances have started suggesting that the Earth’s natural heat is actually far more accessible than previously believed, even in areas that aren’t anywhere near natural sources.

Geothermal energy technology is moving ahead rapidly

With new techniques such as using fracking to send water underground, bringing it back up heated or as steam to power electricity generation, the promise it offers in decarbonizing power has skyrocketed. In fact, by employing new methods, the availability of this source of heat virtually everywhere has caused some to predict that it will continue moving its way up the ladder in importance and may even one day outrank nuclear energy. Moreover, that day might not be too long from now. According to predictions by the United States Department of Energy (DoE), geothermal energy could be powering as many as 260 million US homes by 2050.

Bipartisan appeal

While many strategies for decarbonization and generating clean electricity tend to find themselves stuck in Congress, there is substantial bipartisan appeal for geothermal energy.  This means that it is not only available to the majority of the country in terms of access to the heat in the Earth’s crust, but it could also move through the legal process more quickly than other types of clean power that find themselves caught up in red tape.