{"id":770662,"date":"2026-01-13T06:17:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=770662"},"modified":"2026-01-13T07:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T15:42:39","slug":"geothermal-rises","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises","title":{"rendered":"Geothermal Projects Heat Up as Energy Demand Rises"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[493314,489232,469281],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-770662","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-energy-infrastructure","tag-operations-management","tag-renewable-energy","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"As the moment for geothermal energy arrives, location technology offers lessons in siting and operations management from adjacent sectors.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Though geothermal energy currently supplies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/the-future-of-geothermal-energy\/executive-summary\">less than 1 percent<\/a> of the world\u2019s power, recent developments indicate it\u2019s positioned to do much more."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Snapshot<\/strong>: As energy demand spikes in major economies, geothermal developers are drawing big investments. Harnessing location intelligence will be key to their success.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Geothermal power plants typically use steam generated from heat trapped deep within the Earth to spin electricity-producing turbines. While they have been around for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.power-technology.com\/features\/oldest-geothermal-plant-larderello\/?cf-view\">over a century<\/a> they typically required conditions found in only a few geological hot spots .\r\n\r\nNow, the geothermal market itself is heating up. Rising demand for cheap, abundant energy is converging with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/interactive\/science-and-technology\/2025\/11\/18\/geothermal-time-has-finally-come\">drilling innovations and technologies<\/a> to expand the number of locations where geothermal production can succeed. A Princeton University analysis revealed that, under the right conditions, geothermal power could supply up to <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.princeton.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/07\/enhanced-geothermal-systems-underground-tech-surfaces-serious-clean-energy-contender\">20 percent of the electricity<\/a> in the United States by 2050.\r\n\r\nScaling up geothermal production will require an acute sense of location awareness throughout the energy lifecycle. Across the energy sector, companies are already using maps and analysis from geographic information system (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/what-is-gis\/overview\">GIS<\/a>) technology to\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>identify the most promising sites for development.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>plan construction and infrastructure projects.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>monitor operations for safety and efficiency improvements.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3><strong>Giving Heat Maps New Meaning in Geothermal Energy <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nBreakthroughs in geothermal technology are arriving at a time of intense global demand for new energy streams.\r\n\r\nEurope is doubling down on renewable energy as it seeks to wean itself from Russian oil and gas. Big Tech firms are racing to plug into clean, affordable energy sources to fuel the army of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-and-data-centers\">data centers powering the AI revolution<\/a>.\r\n\r\nGeothermal presents an elegant solution: It produces very few carbon emissions and generates little waste\u2014but unlike wind and solar, its wells run 24\/7 and can store days\u2019 worth of energy in underground reservoirs. Investors including Google, Bill Gates, and BP are pouring funding into geothermal startups like the US-based Fervo and Canada\u2019s Eavor."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Mapping Potential<\/strong>\r\n\r\nTo explore maps of geothermal potential within GIS, visit the National Renewable Energy Lab\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-and-data-centers\">geospatial tools<\/a>.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Traditionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esmap.org\/sites\/esmap.org\/files\/1-Patrick%20Avato.pdf\">a significant portion<\/a> of drilled wells have not been able to deliver sustained production. And with drilling and casing demanding large capital expenditures, site selection has been a high-stakes gamble. The main determinant of an energy play\u2019s success has always been location. Yet, while drilling for oil and gas must be extremely precise, recent research by the National Renewable Energy Lab revealed that the area of geothermal potential, particularly in the US West, is much broader than previously thought (see sidebar).\r\n\r\nSmart maps can integrate geophysical surveys and field measurements to capture geothermal energy potential. Planners can quickly assess the suitability of new approaches like closed-loop systems that circulate water deep underground, as well as fracking techniques borrowed from the oil and gas industry.\r\n\r\nOn a data-rich map, a developer can see the subsurface areas where heat levels support energy production. Another layer could show the thickness of sedimentary columns, indicating which locations are firm enough to support drilling and closed-loop infrastructures.\r\n\r\nTo understand the infrastructure needed to bring geothermal energy online, a producer can overlay the US transmission network onto a map. Much of the best territory for geothermal in the US, for example, is in the rural west, far from major population centers. Producers will either need to site wells near customers or map the distribution networks required to transport power. In some cases, there may be opportunities to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-and-data-centers\">site data centers<\/a> near geothermal capacity to supply a portion of base-load power requirements.\r\n<h3><strong>In Monitoring Wells, GIS Synthesizes Place and Performance<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nOnce geothermal wells are running, GIS dashboards can be tools for operations management, combining sensor data from machinery with data on surrounding conditions to reveal trends in risk and efficiency."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ Kentucky maps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/kentucky-maps-solar\">new energy sites<\/a>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Pinpointing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/indonesia-geothermal-energy-mapping\">the cause of a well\u2019s drop in productivity<\/a>, for example, might require more than numerical data. Location technology combines subsurface imaging, flow rate measurements, and environmental metrics to give managers a clear picture of well performance.\r\n\r\nLocation insights also help managers better forecast and avoid risks such as landslides triggered by wells. Overlaying weather data on a map can indicate when and where landslides might occur so teams can take preventive measures. An operations manager might also map readings of hydrogen sulfide\u2014a poisonous byproduct of pumping hydrothermal solutions in certain situations\u2014to ensure workers avoid dangerous areas.\r\n\r\nFor decades, GIS has powered the project life cycles of nearly every major form of energy production. As geothermal potential surges, location technology once again has a critical role to play in guiding producers to the hot spots of tomorrow\u2019s power."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Geothermal Energy\u2019s Breakout Moment?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As AI data centers and energy independence goad economies toward new sources of energy, geothermal gets another look.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Geothermal Projects Heat Up as Energy Demand Rises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As AI data centers and energy independence goad economies toward new sources of energy, geothermal gets another look.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-13T15:42:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/geothermal-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/geothermal-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Geothermal Energy\u2019s Breakout Moment?\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-13T14:17:33+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-01-13T15:42:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"As AI data centers and energy independence goad economies toward new sources of energy, geothermal gets another look.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Geothermal Projects Heat Up as Energy Demand Rises\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"description\": \"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.\",\n\t            \"sameAs\": [\n\t                \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814\",\n\t                \"https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Geothermal Energy\u2019s Breakout Moment?","description":"As AI data centers and energy independence goad economies toward new sources of energy, geothermal gets another look.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Geothermal Projects Heat Up as Energy Demand Rises","og_description":"As AI data centers and energy independence goad economies toward new sources of energy, geothermal gets another look.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2026-01-13T15:42:39+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/geothermal-card-826x465-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""},{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/geothermal-card-826x465-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises","name":"Geothermal Energy\u2019s Breakout Moment?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-13T14:17:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-13T15:42:39+00:00","description":"As AI data centers and energy independence goad economies toward new sources of energy, geothermal gets another look.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/geothermal-rises#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Geothermal Projects Heat Up as Energy Demand Rises"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376","name":"Chris Chiappinelli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","caption":"Chris Chiappinelli"},"description":"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814","https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip"],"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/770662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wherenext"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/770662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770662"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=770662"},{"taxonomy":"wherenext-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext-category?post=770662"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=770662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}