Knowledge Tree
geothermal energy
Also known as: geothermal energy, geothermal, geothermal power
Facts (44)
Sources
Sustainable Energy Transition for Renewable and Low Carbon Grid ... frontiersin.org Mar 23, 2022 16 facts
perspectiveRenewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar, hydro, and wind should be utilized to their maximum potential due to their immense resource supply.
measurementGeothermal energy contributes less than 1% of global electricity generation, despite having the potential to meet the entire energy needs of humanity at current consumption rates.
referenceMoriarty and Honnery (2019) identify five options for the future use of renewable energy: (1) electricity from intermittent wind, solar, and wave energy; (2) dispatchable electricity from hydropower; (3) thermal dispatchable power from solar, geothermal, and biomass; (4) direct thermal energy use from bioenergy and low-temperature geothermal for heating and cooling; and (5) biochemical conversion of biomass to biogas and liquid fuels.
claimCurrent renewable energy power generation focuses on solar photovoltaic (PV), hydro, and wind energy, while geothermal and biomass remain underutilized despite their abundance, as noted by CS-UNIDO (2008).
referenceHollaway and Bai (2013) categorize renewable energy technologies into three generations: the first generation (19th century) includes hydropower, biomass, and geothermal; the second generation (1980s) includes tidal, wind, wave, and solar; and the third generation (currently under development) includes gasification, bio-refinery, and ocean thermal power.
claimMoriarty and Honnery (2019) assert that solar energy, wind, bioenergy, and geothermal will play a leading role in the global energy transition away from a century of fossil fuel dominance.
claimIncreased utilization of geothermal energy can reduce electricity prices, improve reliability, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
claimGeothermal energy is produced by drilling deep into the Earth’s crust to harness heat for the generation of electricity or thermal energy.
measurementIn 2020, the global electricity generation contribution by source was: Coal (35.1%), Gas (23.4%), Oil (2.8%), Hydro (16.0%), Nuclear (10.1%), Wind (5.9%), Solar (3.2%), Geothermal and other renewables (2.8%), and Others (0.7%).
claimGeothermal energy is suitable for base load electricity supply because it possesses high load and capacity factors and produces very low actual and lifetime emissions.
referenceFouquet (2013) suggests that where electrification of transport, industry, and buildings is not possible, other renewable solutions such as modern bioenergy, solar thermal, and geothermal heat applications must be adopted.
claimGeothermal energy has significant potential but currently maintains a low contribution due to high upfront costs, investment risks, and long project delivery timelines.
referenceB. Davidsdottir explored the role of geothermal power in sustainable energy development in a 2012 book chapter.
claimThe first generation of renewable energy technologies began in the nineteenth century and relied on hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy.
claimGeothermal energy is replenished by heat from neighboring hotter regions and the radioactive decay of naturally occurring isotopes located deep in the Earth’s crust.
claimThe use of wellhead generators can help mitigate challenges related to geothermal energy costs and project duration.
Advancing energy efficiency: innovative technologies and strategic ... oaepublish.com 6 facts
claimThe expansion of bioenergy, geothermal, and concentrated solar power remains limited, despite their vital role in integrating wind and solar PV into global electricity systems.
measurementRenewable energy systems, such as solar, wind, or geothermal installations, can generate 30% to 50% of a building’s energy needs, thereby lowering utility bills and reducing grid dependence.
measurementLess than 3% of global energy is currently obtained from alternative renewable sources such as geothermal, concentrated solar, and biofuels.
claimTo drive growth in transportation and heating, a diversified approach is required, including accelerating electrification, improving energy efficiency, and expanding the supply of renewable fuels and sources like solar thermal and geothermal.
claimMixed-use buildings may utilize district energy or onsite renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal power.
measurementApproximately 20% of global heat demand is expected to be met by renewable sources, including ambient heat, solar thermal, geothermal, and solid and gaseous biofuels.
A Critical View on Renewable Energy Sources -Part II: Hydro and ... academia.edu 5 facts
referenceLygia Romanach, Simone Carr-Cornish, and Grace Muriuki investigated the societal acceptance of geothermal energy by analyzing its portrayal in Australian media in a 2015 study published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
referenceMoya et al. (2018) reviewed geothermal energy power plant technology and direct heat applications, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
referenceGondal et al. (2017) reviewed geothermal energy development efforts in Pakistan and discussed future directions, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
referenceRuth Shortall and Ali Kharrazi examined the cultural factors influencing sustainable energy development, specifically focusing on geothermal energy in Iceland and Japan, in a 2017 study published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
referenceMehmet Melikoglu reviewed geothermal energy in Turkey and globally, analyzing it against Turkey's Vision 2023 energy targets in a 2017 study published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
Global perspectives on energy technology assessment and ... link.springer.com Oct 30, 2025 3 facts
referenceHu X, Banks J, Guo Y, Liu WV. (2022) published 'Utilizing geothermal energy from enhanced geothermal systems as a heat source for oil sands separation: a numerical evaluation' in Energy, which evaluates the use of geothermal energy for oil sands processing.
measurementCosta Rica generates more than 99% of its electricity from renewable sources, primarily hydropower and geothermal energy, which have replaced reliance on fossil fuels.
claimBiomass power generation, hydropower, geothermal energy, and onshore wind are renewable electricity technologies that can now deliver price-competitive electricity compared to new fossil-fueled generators.
A comprehensive overview on demand side energy management ... link.springer.com Mar 13, 2023 2 facts
claimRenewable energy sources (RES), including solar, biomass, wind, solar thermal, geothermal, and small hydro turbines, are characterized as stochastic, intermittent, unexpected, and uncontrolled, yet have become a popular energy source according to Platt et al. (2014).
claimRenewable energy sources (RES), including solar, biomass, wind, solar thermal, geothermal, and small hydro turbines, have become popular energy sources despite being stochastic, intermittent, unexpected, and uncontrolled, as noted by Platt et al. (2014).
A Critical Disconnect: Relying on Nuclear Energy in ... energypolicy.columbia.edu Jul 6, 2023 2 facts
measurementNuclear energy is currently deployed at a large scale in the United States with 93,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity, compared to 15,000 MW for biomass and geothermal energy.
measurementNuclear energy is the only low-carbon firm capacity currently deployed at large scale in the United States, with 93,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity compared to 15,000 MW for biomass and geothermal energy.
Opportunities and Challenges of a Global Renewable Energy Goal worldfuturecouncil.org 1 fact
claimA global renewable energy target would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal.
Challenges of a Clean Energy Transition and Implications for ... economicstrategygroup.org 1 fact
claimWell decommissioning could serve as a temporary bridge to future employment opportunities in geothermal energy, offshore wind, carbon sequestration, or other clean energy technologies for displaced oil and gas workers.
What Is the Energy Transition? Drivers, Challenges & Outlook sepapower.org May 7, 2024 1 fact
claimRenewable energy sources include solar power, wind energy, hydroelectricity, and geothermal power.
Energy Transition Literature - PSU Center for Energy Law and Policy celp.psu.edu May 20, 2024 1 fact
claimLi, Edwards, Hosseini, and Costin (2020) identify three areas requiring attention for Australia's renewable energy transition: time-varying feed-in tariffs, increasing the utilization of subsidized geothermal energy installations, and using Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to facilitate renewable energy adoption.
A critical review on techno-economic analysis of hybrid renewable ... link.springer.com Dec 6, 2023 1 fact
referenceØstergaard et al. used the Energy PLAN model to investigate the feasibility of integrating geothermal, cold biomass, and wind energy to meet the energy requirements of Aalborg, Denmark, finding favorable socio-economic consequences compared to conventional energy sources.
What Role Does Nuclear Energy Play in the Race to Net Zero? earth.org Jul 19, 2023 1 fact
claimRenewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, tidal, and sustainable bioenergy, face constraints in deployment speed due to challenges regarding intermittency, energy storage, transmission, and seasonal variability.
Technical and economic approach to aim the feasibility of ... - PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Mar 16, 2023 1 fact
claimSome Italian regions, particularly those in the north, should prefer hydroelectric and geothermal energy over solar photovoltaics, according to the findings in 'Technical and economic approach to aim the feasibility of renewables in the Italian context'.
The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment ... nationalacademies.org 1 fact
claimWind and solar energy sources dominate the renewable portion of clean energy forecasts, but other sources including hydro (small, large, low-head), biomass, geothermal, and offshore energy also have the potential to contribute to a clean energy portfolio.
The potential land requirements and related land use change ... nature.com Feb 3, 2021 1 fact
referenceThe study models three pathways for electricity generation from 2020 to 2050: the Solar energy pathway (land-based PV, rooftop-based PV, CSP), the Bioenergy pathway (conventional biomass, biomass gasification with/without Carbon Capture and Storage, and Biomass-driven Combined Heat and Power), and the Non-land-occupying pathway (wind, geothermal, rooftop-based PV, and nuclear).
Clean Energy Solutions Must Include Nuclear | ClearPath clearpath.org 1 fact
referenceThe paper defines low-emissions energy sources as solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, fossil resources with 99% carbon capture, and nuclear energy, based on their attributes at the point of electricity generation.