Ep 10 | Can Enhanced Geothermal Make a Difference in the Energy Transition?

When it comes to clean energy, we often hear about wind and solar, but there are other, perhaps less-talked about, renewable sources to include in our energy transition portfolio. In this episode, we focus on geothermal, which uses heat from the earth to generate energy. You may have heard of the Geysers in northern California, the world’s largest geothermal field, or the Salton Sea in southern California, the second largest geothermal field in the U.S. However, in 2022, just 0.4% of U.S. electricity generation came from geothermal energy. Can we harness the potential of the earth’s heat in more than just volcanic regions?

To address this question, Justine and Paulina speak with Dr. Birendra Jha, a professor of petroleum engineering at USC who runs a research group, the GEM Lab, which aims to address engineering challenges related to energy. We talk about what geothermal energy is, why geothermal seems to be less popular than other sources like wind and solar, and the challenges and benefits of an emerging technology, Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), which could expand where geothermal energy is produced.

Jim then speaks with Minh Tran, a geothermal engineer with a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from USC, who is studying ways to more effectively transform geothermal heat into electricity. We talk about whether skills from oil and gas are transferable to geothermal, the potential of EGS in the energy transition, and the importance of financing and policy incentives in expanding geothermal.

2:21 Interview with Dr. Jha 36:28 Interview with Minh Tran 55:48 Concluding Remarks

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast so you can automatically get access to our new episodes – you can find us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we would appreciate it so much if you could leave a rating and review. Special thanks to our guests for today and Abhi, our technical guru, for their important contributions to today’s episode. This podcast is sponsored by the USC Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition.

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Energy Transition Talk series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET) or the producers of this podcast.

Referenced in this episode:

• EIA, Geothermal Explained

• EIA, U.S electricity generation by energy source

• California Energy Commission, 2022 Total System Electric Generation

• EnergyTransition.org, Mar. 28, 2023, Geothermal Iceland: This land of fire and ice is pushing the limits of its natural energy

• ScienceNews, July 12, 2023, How Kenya is helping its neighbors develop geothermal energy

• Forbes, Enhanced Geothermal Could Be A Missing Piece Of America’s Climate Puzzle, July 23, 2023

• Scientific American, Biden Administration Bets $74 Million on ‘Enhanced’ Geothermal Power, Feb. 14, 2023

• U.S. Department of Energy, Biden-Harris Administration Announces $74 Million to Advance Enhanced Geothermal Systems, Feb. 8, 2023

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Energy Transition Talk series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET) or the producers of this podcast.