Technology:

The Forgotten Renewable: A User's Guide to Geothermal (Utility Dive)

In the world of renewable energy, geothermal is practically an afterthought. But geothermal offers something important that wind and solar don't: baseload capacity. Because geothermal operates around the clock, expect to see this resource, which taps underground heat sources, to keep growing, especially in the West where it is most abundant.

With a high capacity factor, a measure of how often a plant is operating, a modest-sized geothermal plant can produce as much electricity as a much larger wind farm or solar facility. Geothermal projects don't take up much space, especially when compared to large wind farms and utility-scale solar projects that can occupy thousands of acres.

Because it operates as a baseload resource, utilities and grid operators don't need to ramp natural gas-fired plants up and down to balance geothermal like on-again, off-again wind and solar facilities. This makes geothermal less expensive to integrate onto the grid. Although typically a baseload resource, it can also be operated like a flexible resource, if needed.

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