Webinar: Experts Explain the Power and Promise of All-American Geothermal Energy

On April 27, clean energy experts Caity Smith with Zanskar, Gabe Malek with Fervo, Wilson Ricks with Princeton ZERO Lab, and Joe Moore with Utah FORGE all convened for a virtual explainer on geothermal energy. 

As they explained, the power and promise of geothermal energy is groundbreaking – literally. 

Traditional hydrothermal resources are naturally occurring and “have existing fracture networks [and] some sort of fluid that we can extract from deep within the earth,” said Caity Smith with Zanskar. The fluid is then processed in a power plant and injected back into the earth to create electricity. 

Geothermal “complements wind and solar by providing reliable electricity during the times that it's the hardest,” said Wilson Ricks with Princeton ZERO Lab.

Its strength is its versatility, as it can be used for “heating and cooling,” “energy storage,” and “electricity generation,” said Joe Moore with Utah FORGE. 

Not only does it provide clean energy at all hours of the day and night, but it can serve as an entryway into clean energy for those many former oil and gas workers, whose skills can directly apply to geothermal.

“They have those skills… [and] can just apply them to geothermal,” says Gabe Malek with Fervo. 

Move over oil and gas. As “the largest producer of geothermal energy in the world,” said Caity Smith with Zanskar, “It's time that we lead the charge in elevating yet another clean source of power.”