Human beings depend on energy. It’s almost what makes us human. When we discovered fire, we became truly the masters of creation and the apex of the animal kingdom. You can imagine our cave dwelling ancestors wielding a flaming torch in the face of a cave bear or a saber-tooth tiger and living to tell the story.
So, what should be our attitude about the prospect of running out of energy? Well, windmills and solar panels don’t seem to be the future. Of course, if photovoltaic cells become more efficient and cost effective, maybe they will be a big part of the answer. But I tend to think there will be more cost-effective options. And this is long term. Short term we’ll probably be using uranium fission technology to produce power but sometime in the future we’ll run out of recoverable uranium and need to move on.
As I’ve reiterated endlessly, I think that geothermal energy will be a very important source of power in the future. The earth has an enormous heat source to be tapped into for our energy needs.
And now, finally, results are moving beyond the research and pilot plant stages:
“Leading Companies in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) or advanced variants like closed-loop or superhot rock geothermal, involve drilling wells several kilometers deep to access hot rock formations, fracturing them if needed, and circulating fluids to extract heat for electricity generation. These technologies aim to scale beyond traditional hydrothermal resources, enabling baseload, carbon-free power almost anywhere.
As of October 2025, commercialization is accelerating due to oil/gas-derived drilling innovations, major funding, and partnerships with tech giants like Google and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Based on recent developments, the companies closest to large-scale commercialization (defined here as multi-MW projects entering operation or construction by 2026–2028) are those with demonstrated pilots, secured financing, and firm power purchase agreements (PPAs). Below is a summary table of the top contenders, followed by details.
These companies stand out for their progress toward utility-scale electricity production (tens to hundreds of MW), distinguishing them from firms focused on shallow heating/cooling (e.g., Dandelion) or conventional geothermal (e.g., Ormat, Calpine). Progress is driven by DOE’s FORGE initiative and private investments exceeding $1B since 2020.
- Fervo Energy (USA): The frontrunner in EGS commercialization, Fervo adapts shale-fracking techniques for deep (up to 15,765 ft) horizontal wells in hot granite, achieving flow rates over 80 liters/second—surpassing commercial benchmarks. Its 2023 Nevada pilot (3.5 MW) powers Google’s data centers and demonstrated energy storage capabilities. The Cape Station project in Utah, fully funded at $206M in June 2025, targets 400 MW Phase I by 2026, with multi-GW expansion. This positions Fervo to supply 24/7 power to AI/data centers at costs competitive with coal.
- Eavor Technologies (Canada): Specializing in closed-loop systems that avoid hydraulic fracturing by using insulated U-shaped boreholes (up to 10 km deep), Eavor enables site-agnostic deployment. Its New Mexico demo reached 250°C at 18,000 ft in 2024, proving scalability. The Geretsried project (Germany) will deliver 65 MW baseload power by 2027, with heat co-production for district heating. Backed by $991M, Eavor has operational pilots in Alberta (2019) and Colorado (2023), making it a leader in Europe and North America.
- Quaise Energy (USA, MIT spinout): Focused on ultra-deep drilling (20 km) to access superhot rock (>500°C) for 10x higher energy output per well, Quaise uses gyrotron millimeter waves to vaporize rock, bypassing mechanical bits that fail in extreme heat. A 2025 demo drilled 387 ft at 16 ft/hour through basalt, the deepest with this method. Targeting steam extraction in 2026 and commercial ops in 2028, it plans to retrofit fossil plants globally, with $91M raised and DOE support. This could unlock 5,500 GW in the U.S. alone.
- GreenFire Energy (USA): Its GreenLoop closed-loop tech retrofits existing deep oil/gas/geothermal wells (3–5 km) without stimulation, reducing costs and risks. Partnerships with DoD (e.g., California naval base) and GeoZone aim for 200 MWe by 2027, leveraging idle infrastructure for quick deployment. Selected for DOE’s 2025 next-gen initiatives, it’s ideal for scaling in oil-rich basins like California’s Geysers field.
- Sage Geosystems (USA): Developing GGS, which stores excess renewable energy by pressurizing deep fractures (kilometers below surface) with water, then releasing for on-demand power—acting as a geothermal battery. A 2025 Meta contract for 150 MW highlights its commercial traction, with DoD pilots in Texas. Using proven fracking tech, Sage could integrate with wind/solar for hybrid grids by 2027.”
Now it goes without saying that geothermal energy is still in its infancy and no one knows what kinds of technical problems will surface (pun intended). But at the same time the problems will mostly involve well understood parameters like material of constructions to deal with the pressures, temperatures and corrosion problems inherent in circulating water and steam in a bore-hole. But these are not mysterious or insoluble problems. They are the bread and butter of material scientists and engineers. I am also interested to see that tech companies are financing some of these ventures in order to control their electric power supply in the face of power shortages and interruptions associated with the “green energy revolution” that many of us currently suffer under. Imagine that!
AS I recall reading several years ago, corrosion was a serious problem for turbines and other machinery that came in contact with the geothermal steam. One solution may be to take the primary/secondary loop approach used in nuclear reactors. The primary “hot” loop, where the geothermal water circulates, and a heat exchanger/secondary loop of clean, purified water that actually spins the turbines to produce power. There would be some loss in efficiency, but this would be more than countered by the reduction in cost and down-time for repairs and maintenance. And don’t forget thorium fission reactors. Less waste, meltdown-free design,… Read more »
Yes to both. Two loop systems minimize material of construction constraints. Thorium is fine but one day even it will become scarce.
Also solar in very large arrays located somewhere like L1.
They will probably have a demonstration fusion generator ready in a few hundred years.
I’ve come to think of the sun as our own personal fusion reactor. It’s been very reliable and economical too.
Here is an alternate energy article on “osmotic energy”.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/10/18/japan-tries-out-osmotic-energy/
That’s a clever application of the waste stream from a desalination plant. The desalination plant uses energy to pump salt water through a special membrane that holds back the salt ions but lets the water molecules through. The product is fresh water produced from salt water. It uses a lot of energy this way but it also produces even higher concentration salt solutions that can be used in this reverse direction to produce energy. So they’re offsetting some of their energy costs. Clever.
But wait. Aren’t you consuming the fresh water you made in the first place?
Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the desalination plant?
Without knowing exactly the specifics of this case I assumed that there is a source of fresh water (river) that is unsuitable for drinking but usable for this osmotic power scheme. Even brackish water might be sufficiently lower in salt content for the pressure differential they are utilizing. As long as the river water is “free” there may be enough power produced to make it all pay off. Of course the cost of the energy recovery equipment has to be low enough to make the whole thing cost effective. The only thing you worry about is if there are government… Read more »