Canary Media: “Chart: Geothermal has vast potential to meet the world’s power needs.” Let’s start with the basics. A watt is an instantaneous measure of power, in this case of electricity generation. A terrawatt is a million million watts [twelve zeros], abbreviated as TW. Currently, existing geothermal ‘represents just a whisper of all the renewable electricity that’s generated globally every year.’ But the potential is huge. “Thanks to next-generation technologies that could make it possible to harness earth’s heat in more places, geothermal has the potential to be bigger than any clean energy source other than solar, per a recent International Energy Agency analysis.” But historic + current geothermal systems concentrate in places ‘where steam and hot water are naturally present and relatively easy to access—resources that are few and far between in many countries.’ “Companies and research institutions are racing to design new geothermal drilling tools and energy systems. Much of that work is happening in the United States, led by startups like Fervo Energy, Sage Geosystems, Eavor and Quaise Energy and bolstered by Department of Energy–led initiatives such as Utah Forge.” The IEA is confident that countries could cost-effectively deploy over 800 GW of geothermal power capacity using technology that’s in development today,, which is equivalent to the current power needs of the U.S. and India combined. Developing 24/7 geothermal power would balance out the variable, intermittent solar + wind energy coming into the grid in places like the United States, China, Europe, and Brazil. “Could also replace coal-fired power plants or prevent new ones from being built in fast-growing economies in India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South America.” With small footprint, dispatchability [on-demand] generation, chemical-free fracking with experience from the oil + gas industry, this technology is definitely shovel-ready.
World Geothermal Potential
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