EGS is still in the earliest stages of development, but it has equally impressive potential. The technology involves drilling wells deep underground, circulating a fluid over naturally hot rocks, and using the steam created in a closed-loop system to spin turbines on the surface. Unlike conventional geothermal or hydrothermal resources that are dependent on existing geology in a limited number of states, EGS projects could be economical across a wide range of the country.
In fact, the Department of Energy (DOE) thinks the United States has at least 100,000 megawatts of next-generation geothermal potential -- equivalent to the nation's installed nuclear power fleet (although EGS would produce slightly less electricity than nuclear on a power capacity basis, but more than wind or solar). In 2018, the department doled out a record $16 million in grants to accelerate research, and it thinks commercially viable technology could be ready as soon as 2030.
That may sound ambitious, but much of the technology will borrow from hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") techniques developed to tap into American shale oil and gas resources. If the technology works as envisioned, then EGS could provide at least 15% of the nation's total electricity by midcentury. Yet it never shows up in long-term decarbonization projections to 2050.
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