The Climate Question Why don’t we use more geothermal energy?
Sep 28, 2025
Christian Freytag, an executive at Vulcan Energy Resources, dives into the exciting potential of geothermal energy. He reveals how extracting lithium from geothermal brine not only makes projects profitable but also supports the transition to electric vehicles. The discussion highlights innovative ideas, including drilling into volcanic magma for super-heated energy, and the challenges of community resistance in geothermal projects in Indonesia. Freytag emphasizes that with effective community engagement and technological advances, geothermal could become a major energy player.
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Huge Untapped Subsurface Energy
- The Earth's upper 10 km contains ~50,000 times more energy than all oil and gas reserves.
- Yet less than 1% of global energy comes from geothermal despite its abundance and reliability.
Make Geothermal Investment Less Risky
- Reduce investor risk by improving policy and raising potential returns for geothermal projects.
- Combine government de-risking with higher-profit opportunities to attract private finance.
Lithium Makes Geothermal Profitable
- Christian Freytag shows Vulcan Energy's demo plant that extracts lithium from geothermal brine alongside heat.
- He says 80–90% of their revenue comes from lithium, not electricity, making projects far more profitable.