AirJoule Technologies Corporation, a leader in atmospheric water generation, has announced plans to deploy its AirJoule system in Hubbard, Texas.
The Department of Defense continues to lay the groundwork for the deployment of new geothermal technology across military installations to support increase power generation.
In a recent LinkedIn update, Ignis H2 Energy Inc. announced that Chugach Electric Association, Alaska’s largest electric utility, has issued a non-binding Letter of Interest (LOI) to pursue a potential Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for up to 200 megawatts of baseload geothermal power.
Next-generation geothermal energy may soon be a cost-competitive way to fill the need for clean, firm power in the USA, according to a new report by McKinsey & Company.
It estimates that around US$900mn in private capital has been channeled toward next-generation geothermal technologies and projects in the past five years.
However, anticipated cost decreases — coupled with the urgent and growing need for additional power supply — may draw even more attention to the sector in the coming years.
“Our analysis suggests that more than 780 megawatts of letters of intent and power purchase agreements (PPAs) have been signed over the past two years, and approximately one gigawatt of next-generation geothermal projects is in various stages of development,” McKinsey notes in the report.
The document also singles out two next-generation approaches closest to market: Enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) and Advanced closed-loop systems (ACLs).
EGSs use hydraulic fracturing to create subsurface fractures through hot rock three to five km below the surface.
Water injected into a well absorbs heat while traveling through the fractures and exits through another well to the surface where the heat is converted to electricity.
ACLs create a radiator-like, closed-loop system of horizontal wells filled with fluid.
These loops are deeper in the ground — four to eight km — potentially increasing the cost relative to EGSs.However, having a closed loop reduces overall water demand, which could boost feasibility in arid regions.
Most importantly, McKinsey notes, industry costs could drop significantly in the next decade.
“Improvements in technology derived from unconventional oil and gas drilling have combined with growing energy demand to push next-generation geothermal from a niche option to a cost-competitive choice in some areas, with strong potential to become cheaper over the next decade,” the report states.
It estimates that levelised production costs for a first-of-a-kind, commercial-scale (more than 50 megawatts) next-generation geothermal facility in the US could range from US$75 to US$120 per megawatt-hour.
Exploration, drilling, and power plant capital expenditures make up more than 70% of costs.
But by 2035, costs of next-generation geothermal technology in the US could fall to about US$45 to US$65 per megawatt-hour, according to the report.
“Although other clean-energy sources will also experience cost decreases over the same period, we expect next-generation geothermal to outcompete other sources of clean, firm power,” McKinsey notes.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has successfully leased two geothermal parcels in Malheur County, Oregon, totaling 5,235 acres of public land.
Quaise Energy, a pioneer in grid-scale superhot geothermal technology, has reached a critical milestone by successfully drilling to a depth of 100 meters at its Central Texas field site using millimeter wave technology.
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) has announced Adams County will receive funding for two projects to support geothermal heating initiatives.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently announced a groundbreaking partnership between XGS Energy and Meta to develop 150MW of advanced geothermal energy in New Mexico.
The Bureau of Land Management has approved the 30MW Crescent Valley production facility and associated transmission line.
According to a new paper by the think tank, Carnegie Endowment, geothermal energy’s moment is here — and North America is a hotspot for innovation.
“North America, particularly the Western part of the United States, is the optimal environment for next-generation geothermal commercialisation,” the report notes, “because of strong hot dry rock resources, incumbent geothermal and drilling industries, deep expertise in complex drilling techniques from shale production, proximity to equipment (such as rigs and casings), and a dynamic startup culture and venture capital ecosystem.”
The report, Unlocking Global Geothermal Energy: Pathways to Scaling International Deployment of Next-Generation Geothermal, also outlines some the technologies shaping the industry and identifies its global potential.
The paper considers the potential of next‑generation geothermal technologies — particularly Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Advanced/Closed‑Loop Geothermal Systems (AGS) — to transform global clean power generation in the years ahead.
These advances leverage oil and gas industry expertise, such as deep and horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, to access superhot rock deep underground.
Again, North America is in a strong position to lead in this regard.
Meteoric electricity demand growth from data centres and Big Tech’s interest in next-generation geothermal only furthers this argument, the report adds.
“The world’s first commercial scale EGS facility is being finalised in Utah, closed-loop systems are under development in California and New Mexico, and other early-stage projects are beginning in the United States and Canada,” the report states.
“The US Air Force has contracted nearly all regional next-generation geothermal firms to develop their technologies on American military installations across Texas and California."
The report also highlights ways in which the US could take the lead in spreading these technologies to other parts of the globe.
It suggests the US International Development Finance Corporation move beyond traditional commercial loans to create risk-sharing instruments tailored to geothermal power’s unique challenges.
It also states that the US could incorporate geothermal into existing bilateral and multilateral energy, economic, and security platforms — a tactic it calls advancing ‘geothermal diplomacy’.
Startup company Geothermal Radar has announced the development of an exclusive global thermal model that enables users to exploit geothermal gradients across areas of interest.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission (OECS) has officially opened the bids for the production drilling phase of the St. Kitts and Nevis geothermal power project, marking another major milestone in the region sustainable energy sector.