Geothermal Energy: Another Nail in the Coffin of Wind and Solar Power?
By
Bonner Cohen, Ph. D.
|
June 26th, 2025
As if the resurgence of fossil fuels and the realistic prospect of a renaissance of nuclear energy in the U.S. were not enough, purveyors of intermittent and subsidy-dependent wind and solar power may be facing another challenge, this one emanating from heat stored deep beneath the earth’s surface.
The global AI arms race, with its extraordinary demands for gobs of electricity to power ever-proliferating data centers, has been a black swan for green energy. Unable to deliver the continuous flow of power demanded by the 21st century’s Industrial Revolution, green energy’s best days appear to be behind it. A bit player at best in the Trump administration’s quest for American energy dominance, wind and solar power may be further marginalized by a new rival: geothermal energy.
Cited by Energy Secretary Chris Wright as among the “affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies” (along with fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, and hydropower), geothermal involves drilling into the earth’s core to harness heat to generate power for on-demand cooling, heating, and electricity. (Wright’s former company, Liberty Energy, invested $10 million in Texas-based geothermal startup Fervo Energy, The Hill reported earlier this year.)
“As of 2025,” Global Energy Monitor notes, “the United States accounts for 23% of global geothermal capacity and is the leader in global operating capacity with 3.7 GW [gigawatts].” But geothermal still accounts for only about 1% of the nation’s power, and expanding the industry has been slow going.
https://www.cfact.org/2025/06/26/could-geothermal-energy-pound-a-nail-in-wind-and-solars-coffins/
