A new report from the International Energy Agency paints a rosy picture for a widely overlooked sustainable energy source.
The analysis "should be a clear signal to policymakers and stakeholders across the globe that next-generation geothermal has arrived [and] is ready to deploy," Drew Nelson, vice president at nonprofit advocacy group Project InnerSpace, told Canary Media.
The IEA reports geothermal has the potential to overtake wind power's total output as a sustainable energy source, which would make it second only to solar. This potential is being unlocked by new financing models and advancements in tech that can harness more geothermal power than ever before. The IEA predicts that geothermal could reach 600 terawatts of power capacity globally by 2050. The IEA pegs the potential for solar over the same period at over 2,200 terawatts (TW).
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Should we be digging miles beneath Earth's surface? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
No way 👎 Geothermal power takes heat generated from deep within the Earth's crust to create steam, which moves turbines that produce electricity. The tech enabling this leap for geothermal is drilling techniques that can go beyond 7 kilometers (or 4.3 miles) deep. We've already seen some geothermal startups claiming the capability to drill 12 miles down. Since the heat that geothermal taps into originally comes from the Earth's core, it's possible to get more of it the deeper you dig.
Areas of the planet that are tectonically active provide greater access to the heat emanating from Earth's core. Africa and Central America are the best regions to take advantage of the opportunity, according to the IEA, but the U.S. isn't far behind.
"As a country, the United States is assessed to have the world's largest technical enhanced geothermal capacity potential, with about one-eighth of the global total (over 70 TW)," says the report. "Even at a depth of 5 km, U.S. technical potential is over 7 TW, seven times more than the country's total installed power capacity today."
Geothermal heat generation is already well underway in the U.S., with one impressive plant up and running in Utah. While geothermal drilling has its own environmental impact, running the power plants produces no emissions. Geothermal energy can help slow climate change by replacing polluting gas and coal power generation.
What are your thoughts on the potential for geothermal power? Is it as promising as it sounds, or just a bunch of hot gas? Share your opinion in our poll on geothermal power.
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