Geothermal seems to be nearing an inflection point. With rising load growth, clean, firm power is more valuable than ever. Next-gen geothermal players like Fervo Energy and Sage Geosystems are signing PPAs with major tech firms. Even U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright — a known critic of renewables — has praised the potential of geothermal.

The size of the U.S. geothermal resource accessible through next-gen geothermal technologies like enhanced-geothermal systems is enormous — potentially thousands of gigawatts. But tapping into it hinges on figuring out the economics.

So what does it actually take to develop a geothermal project — and how are new tools reshaping the process?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Carl Hoiland, co-founder and CEO of geothermal energy company Zanskar, which uses AI for enhanced geothermal exploration. Shayle and Carl cover topics like:

Why geothermal stalled — and what’s changing now
The full step-by-step process of developing a project
How to avoid exploration risk, also known as dry hole risk
Methods for estimating resource size and managing depletion risk
The geothermal supply chain
How permitting is speeding up
Carl’s outlook for when and where development is likely to happen

Resources:

Latitude Media: Geothermal could meet 64% of hyperscale data center power demand

Latitude Media: Why geothermal might benefit from Trump’s tariffs

The Green Blueprint: How a text message launched a geothermal revolution in Utah

Latitude Media: The geothermal industry has a potential ally in Chris Wright

Latitude Media: Why California lawmakers are warming to geothermal

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor.

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Walt Whitman's "A July Afternoon by the Pond"