The Trump administration is looking to carve out a place for geothermal energy in its energy abundance agenda, starting several initiatives to help the undervalued renewable resource expand beyond the volcanic Pacific region.
Geothermal power plants are one of the few renewable energy resources, outside of hydroelectric dams, that can provide a source of 24-hour-a-day electricity without interruption, known as baseload power. Arguably, geothermal is becoming more reliable than hydropower, given water scarcity issues in the West.
The plants also don’t suck up as much water as conventional power plants do for cooling, and use less land than the thousands of acres needed for large solar arrays.
The plants work by drilling down deep into the Earth's crust to use the high temperatures there as a limitless source of fuel to produce steam and generate electricity.
“There are a lot of pluses about geothermal,” said Jonathan Weisgall, vice chairman of a new policy committee started last week by the geothermal industry to set its lobbying agenda in the new year.
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01.22.2025