This Overlooked Energy Source Could Supply 50% Of Electricity (Why Oil Giants like Chevron and BP are Investing in Geothermal Energy)

Link:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/07/why-oil-giants-like-chevron-and-bp-are-investing-in-geothermal-energy.html

Citation:

Produced and narrated by Katie Brigham @KATIE_BRIGHAM

Speakers:

Dr. Catherine Hickson, John Redfern, Cindy Taff, Joseph Scherer, Barbara Burger, Jamie Beard, Tim Latimer

Abstract:

Miles below the Earth’s surface, there’s a source of renewable energy that could sustain all of humanity for the foreseeable future. Just 0.1% of Earth’s total heat content could meet our energy needs for 2 million years, according to ARPA-E, the government agency that funds R&D efforts for advanced energy technologies.

It’s called geothermal energy, and in some ways, it’s old news. It’s been used to heat buildings since the late 1800s and provide electricity since the 1900s. The U.S. has the most installed geothermal capacity in the world, but it still only accounts for about 0.4% of our total electricity mix. That’s because, in most places, it’s too expensive and challenging to drill geothermal wells. That could change soon, though.