Geothermal could transform the energy transition, yet many people still don't know much about it, meaning it’s time to rewrite the narrative, says one Swedish industry expert.
“We must reshape the narrative using storytelling and visuals to make geothermal appealing and simplify the message,” said Kristina Hagström Ilievska, chief marketing officer at Baseload Capital.
As a global investor, Baseload Capital has financed geothermal power plants across the globe, driving the industry's expansion. Its mission is to maintain a planet in balance by leading partnerships to scale up the geothermal industry. Ilievska is now on a mission to change the narrative around geothermal energy for the benefit of the whole renewable energy sector.
“Everyone is talking about quantum and AI, but no one is talking about the power needed to cool the data servers,” she said. “We are currently producing 8,000 gigawatts of electricity, and it needs to be tripled within five years. That means we have to find 16,000 gigawatts. She called it “a great opportunity” for the geothermal sector. “At least 10% of all electricity needs to be baseload,” she added.
“There is no crowd or competition in this race. There could be one hundred more companies working in geothermal, and we could all be successful.” The need for better communication within the geothermal sector spurred Ilievska to gather like-minded individuals and organisations in a bid to boost collaboration, resulting in a so-called Declaration of Communication. She said this presents the facts from half a decade of her work and explains why the industry needs a united voice and to follow clearer, actionable steps.
The aim is to have 1,000 geothermal ambassadors to sign the document, Ilievska said. She said it may be possible to learn from other industries in looking for a way forward, with geothermal facing similar branding challenges that solar once did. By studying how solar reshaped public perception — from expensive and impractical to affordable and essential — it may accelerate geothermal’s adoption, she noted. “They [the solar industry] made an exponential leap from being very expensive to being affordable. How can we do that for geothermal? There is a lot to learn; from their business models to how they used advocacy and lobbying to get their voices heard.”