Geothermal - A Quiet Energy Revolution in the United States

The United States is undergoing a geothermal energy revolution, with multi-layered technological breakthroughs reshaping the country's energy industry, from shallow geothermal exchange systems to deep enhanced geothermal technologies. This transformation includes innovative applications in urban high-rise buildings and cutting-edge drilling technologies supported by tech giants like Bill Gates and Google.

Last month, the largest high-rise geothermal exchange system in the U.S., The Riverie, was put into operation in Brooklyn. Beneath this apartment building, 320 boreholes have been drilled to utilize the Earth's natural constant temperature for heating and cooling. According to Scientific American, this system is expected to reduce heating and cooling carbon emissions by 53% annually compared to traditional residential buildings.

Meanwhile, enhanced geothermal technology is rapidly developing. The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that by 2050, enhanced geothermal projects could provide approximately 90 gigawatts of carbon-free energy for the U.S., enough to power at least 65 million homes. This emerging field has received explicit support from the Trump administration, which is rare for bipartisan backing in U.S. clean energy technologies.

The surge in energy demand driven by the artificial intelligence boom is becoming a key catalyst for growth in geothermal energy investments. The deep involvement of tech giants and the dual drive of technological innovation position the U.S. to potentially become a global leader in this emerging field.

Geothermal Energy Diagram

Breakthroughs of Shallow Geothermal Systems in Urban Buildings

The Riverie project represents the practical application of geothermal exchange technology in urban environments. The system delivers relatively warm underground temperatures into the building during winter through relatively shallow and easily drilled boreholes, while in summer, it operates in reverse, pumping heat down into the ground.

According to Scientific American, the system has significant energy efficiency advantages because it only moves heat rather than generating it. Although upfront costs and regulatory hurdles may hinder the promotion of similar projects elsewhere, in many scenarios, the economic and environmental benefits outweigh the costs. The Riverie is likely to become a pioneer of a larger movement, with such systems becoming more common in urban areas across the U.S. and globally.

Enhanced Geothermal Technology Attracts Tech Giants' Investment

In contrast to shallow geothermal exchange systems, enhanced geothermal technology takes a completely different approach—developing new methods to drill to unprecedented depths. Traditionally, geothermal energy systems are only feasible in areas where heat from the Earth's core naturally escapes to the surface, such as geysers and hot springs.

To make geothermal energy a viable alternative that can be applied almost anywhere on Earth, global geothermal startups are developing enhanced geothermal technologies capable of drilling to extreme depths. These startups draw on techniques from hydraulic fracturing and even nuclear fusion to find more advanced methods to fracture and melt bedrock to access core heat.

Enhanced geothermal startups like Fervo Energy, based in Houston, have garnered support from heavyweight figures and capital in the tech industry, including Bill Gates and Google. Drew Nelson, Vice President of Project InnerSpace, stated in an interview with Cipher News last year, "The U.S. has several different superpowers, and drilling into the ground and extracting things from those holes is one of them—and it's more economical and efficient than almost anywhere else on Earth."

Artificial Intelligence Becomes a Double-Edged Sword

The wave of artificial intelligence is driving growth in geothermal research and development investment, becoming an important catalyst for technological advancement. While artificial intelligence is creating energy problems that geothermal energy can solve, it also provides key solutions for geothermal development and deployment. AI tools are increasingly being used to map the optimal locations for geothermal systems.

However, the expansion of geothermal energy still faces some key challenges, including high upfront costs and a talent shortage in this emerging and relatively unknown industry. While enhanced geothermal technology has received most of the attention and encountered major bottlenecks, smaller and more low-profile projects like The Riverie are continuing to break ground, changing the way urban heating and cooling are done. These breakthroughs, though small, could accumulate into a significant transformation in energy efficiency over the coming years