Conventional geothermal energy needs a rare combination: hot rock, water, and permeability, close to the surface. That limits it to specific regions. Enhanced geothermal creates the conditions artificially and could in principle work almost anywhere.
How it works
Drill deep enough and rock is hot everywhere. Enhanced systems drill into that rock, fracture it to create pathways, inject water, and recover it heated. The heat drives a turbine, the water recirculates.
The drilling techniques are borrowed from oil and gas, which spent decades developing them and now has spare capacity.
Why it matters
It runs continuously, regardless of weather or time of day. That is the property renewables lack and grids need, and geothermal provides it without fuel or emissions.
A grid with substantial geothermal baseload needs far less storage than one relying on solar and wind alone.
The obstacles
Cost, driven mostly by drilling depth. Reaching sufficiently hot rock in non-volcanic regions means going several kilometres down, and drilling cost rises steeply with depth.
Induced seismicity. Fracturing rock and moving fluid through it can trigger small earthquakes, and projects have been halted after felt events. Managing this is understood and requires care.
And permitting, which was designed for conventional plants and does not fit well.
Where it stands
Demonstration plants operating, commercial projects under construction, and drilling costs falling with experience. The trajectory is encouraging and it is early.
The realistic view
A meaningful contribution to firm clean power within the decade in favourable regions, expanding as drilling gets cheaper. Not a solution on its own and a genuinely useful piece.