先进的地热能广泛可用，清洁，也许足够便宜，可以产生巨大影响

ROBIN GASTER|MAY 2026 Three advanced geothermal technologies—Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), AdvancedGeothermal Systems (AGS), and Superhot Rock Geothermal (SHR)—are poised to transform KEY TAKEAWAYS EGS produces energy at commercial scale by drilling deeper and applying techniquesfrom oil and gas fracking to geothermal. It has enormous potential. Traditional geothermal faces limitations in identifying and exploiting underground wateror brine reservoirs. EGS instead works with hot dry rocks much further underground. Fervo is the industry leader in EGS. It has generated energy at commercial scale andfound commercial demand for its output. Its technology is advancing rapidly, and it is However, EGS understandably still relies on clean energy mandates and federal subsidies.More cost reductions will come as the technology scales, and EGS appears to be on the Federal financing should support rapid scaleup. DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance DOE’s FORGE R&D project is highly successful and should be expanded. It also insists onopen data dissemination, a model for other programs (e.g., MARVEL for microreactors). Scaleup needs improved access to federal lands. Bills currently before Congress will help, CONTENTS Key Takeaways................................................................................................................... 1Introduction....................................................................................................................... 3Geothermal Modalities ........................................................................................................ 4Enhanced Geothermal Systems ........................................................................................ 5Advanced Geothermal Systems......................................................................................... 7Superhot Rock Geothermal .............................................................................................. 8EGS in Action: Fervo Case Study........................................................................................ 11Government Programs for Geothermal................................................................................. 14R&D programs Within DOE’s Office of Geothermal (OG) .................................................... 16Precommercial Pilot Projects.......................................................................................... 18The Loan Programs Office and ARPA-E ........................................................................... 18Workforce Development and Cross-Industry Spillovers....................................................... 19Congressional Activity and the Administration Budget Request .......................................... 19 INTRODUCTION The United States faces a growing electricity supply challenge. Data centers, artificialintelligence (AI), manufacturing reshoring, and electrification are driving electricity demandgrowth not seen in decades, while the retirement of aging baseload plants has left grid operatorsscrambling for firm, dispatchable power. Coal, nuclear, and, more recently, natural gas havehistorically filled this role, but coal is increasingly untenable for both environmental and costreasons, nuclear projects take a decade or more to build, and gas exposes utilities to fuel pricevolatility. Meanwhile, wind and solar—while increasingly cheap—cannot provide the around-the- A rare alignment of technological readiness, market demand, and political support makes this moment This paper examines the potential for accelerated rollout for three advanced geothermaltechnologies—Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS), andSuperhot Rock Geothermal (SHR)—that are poised to transform geothermal from a nicheresource into a significant contributor to the U.S. energy mix. EGS creates artificial reservoirs byfracturing hot dry rock, and has already achieved early commercial rollout: Fervo Energy isconstructing a 400 megawatt (MW) project in Utah with power purchase agreements (PPAs) frommajor utilities, and drilling times have dropped 70 percent in just two years.1AGS, using closed- loop systems that eliminate seismic risk, delivered its first commercial power in late 2025. SHR,still in research and development (R&D), promises 5–10 times the energy output per well by A rare alignment of technological readiness, market demand, and political support makes thismoment particularly significant. Geothermal enjoys bipartisan backing in Congress and explicitsupport from the Trump administration, which included it alongside fossil fuels and nuclear in its“energy emergency” declaration (while excluding wind and solar). Tech giants including Google,Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft have signed agreements with geothermal developers for power to Box 1: Price/Performance Parity As countries seek to reduce emissions, they face the need to ensure that, in the long term, zero-emission t