Geothermal Energy: The Overlooked Renewable (Design Engine)
Geothermal remains to this day one of the most overlooked and least understood of all clean renewable energy sources. In the U.S. wind power and solar are both very visible and noticeable, and wind in particular seems likely to cross 10 percent threshold in electrical generation by the beginning of the next decade; while geothermal is contributing a fraction of 1 percent to the U.S energy grid. Despite this seemingly low amount in percentage terms, this is a significant enough amount of electrical production to make the U.S. the global leader in geothermal generating 3500 MW as of 2015.
The untapped potential here becomes even more pronounced when one realizes geothermal is a baseload form of energy meaning it’s able to contributes a constant and steady flow of energy unlike the more intermittent wind and solar power which would have a greater dependence on smart grid and energy storage technologies.
