Skip to main content

Just In

T5 Smackover Partners Signs Geothermal Lithium Offtake Deal with Glencore in East Texas

T5 Smackover Partners and Glencore Deal: A Turning Point for Geothermal Lithium in East Texas By: Robert Buluma  When Geothermal Stops Being Just Energy A quiet but powerful shift is unfolding in the global energy landscape. For decades, geothermal energy has been discussed almost exclusively as a clean electricity source. But in 2026, that definition is rapidly expanding. The latest signal comes from East Texas, where T5 Smackover Partners has signed a binding offtake agreement with global commodities giant Glencore for lithium carbonate production from the Smackover Formation. On the surface, it looks like another lithium deal in a crowded critical minerals market. But underneath, it represents something far more significant: the merging of geothermal energy systems with large-scale mineral extraction, particularly lithium, at an industrial scale. This is not just about batteries. It is about energy systems becoming mineral systems—and mineral systems becoming energy syst...

EGRISE Revolutionizes Geothermal Research, Discovering the Depths

Discovering the Depths: EGRISE Revolutionizes Geothermal Research

By Robert Buluma

The quest for sustainable energy solutions has led to a surge in geothermal research and innovation worldwide. To harness the full potential of this burgeoning field, the European Geothermal Research & Innovation Search Engine (EGRISE) emerges as a beacon of knowledge, enabling the discovery of a plethora of research products generated within EU-funded geothermal projects and by the broader global geothermal community.


EGRISE stands as a testament to collaboration and connectivity in the scientific realm, leveraging the 'Connect' OpenAIRE application to aggregate a diverse array of research products. From project deliverables to scholarly papers and invaluable datasets, EGRISE serves as a one-stop destination for enthusiasts and experts alike seeking insights into the dynamic landscape of geothermal research.


One of the hallmark features of EGRISE lies in its comprehensive metadata, including Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), ensuring the traceability and integrity of the research products. Moreover, EGRISE embraces the ethos of open access, facilitating seamless access to a treasure trove of knowledge. Researchers and practitioners can effortlessly download open-access research products, fostering collaboration and driving innovation in the geothermal domain.


But EGRISE is more than just a repository; it is a window into the evolution of geothermal research and development. Through the EGRISE Monitor Tool, users gain access to a rich historical perspective of research, development, and innovation in the geothermal landscape. This tool not only showcases success stories but also sheds light on areas ripe for exploration and advancement, bridging the gap between past achievements and future endeavors.

This article This article has the most recent Power Plant in Japan and the World running on Geothermal  

In a world increasingly reliant on sustainable energy sources, EGRISE emerges as a catalyst for progress in the geothermal sector. By democratizing access to research products and offering insights into the ever-evolving geothermal landscape, EGRISE empowers researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to chart a course towards a greener, more sustainable future.


Join the journey of discovery with EGRISE and unlock the potential of geothermal energy to propel us towards a brighter tomorrow.

Source: Alphaxioms

Comments

Hot Topics 🔥

Blowout at Cape Station: Fervo Energy’s First Major Crisis After Blockbuster IPO

Just weeks after a record-breaking IPO, the flagship project of the "geothermal unicorn" faces its first major operational crisis. By : Robert Buluma   Beaver County, Utah – The morning of May 27, 2026, began like any other at the Cape Station construction site in rural Utah. Workers for Fervo Energy, the newly public darling of the renewable energy world, were engaged in the complex task of drilling deep into the Earth’s crust to unlock what the company promised would be the future of 24/7 clean power. But by the afternoon, the routine had turned into a crisis. The site had experienced a blowout—an uncontrolled release of fluid or pressure from a well. For any energy company, a blowout is a serious matter. For Fervo Energy, which had just raised $1.89 billion in a blockbuster Nasdaq debut two weeks prior, it represents an immediate stress test of its technology, its safety protocols, and its $7.7 billion market valuation. While the well has since been contained and no injur...

Eavor Geretsried Geothermal Breakthrough: Inside the Closed-Loop Energy Revolution, Drilling Challenges, and Path to Scalable Clean Power

The Geothermal “Holy Grail” Just Got a Reality Check: Inside Eavor’s Geretsried Breakthrough By: Robert Buluma   May 22, 2026 It’s not every day a deep-tech energy company publishes a detailed technical report that openly documents what went wrong on its flagship project—and still comes out looking stronger. That’s exactly what Eavor Technologies did with its Geretsried geothermal project in Bavaria, Germany. The result is unusually transparent: part technical post-mortem, part validation of a technology many have doubted for years. And the core message is simple. They built it. It works. But it wasn’t smooth. The short version Eavor is trying to solve one of geothermal energy’s hardest problems: how to produce reliable heat and power anywhere, not just in rare volcanic hotspots. Their claim has always been bold: a closed-loop geothermal system that is scalable, dispatchable, low-carbon, and independent of natural reservoirs. Critics have long argued it wouldn’t survive...

Germany’s Hidden Heat Rush: Inside the Massive Urban Geothermal Hunt Beneath Erfurt’s Streets

Germany’s Urban Geothermal Gamble: Inside the Massive 3D Seismic Campaign Beneath Erfurt’s Streets by Geofizyka Torun By : Robert Buluma  In the heart of Germany, something extraordinary is happening beneath the sidewalks, apartment blocks, cafés, and busy streets of Erfurt. While most residents move through their daily routines unaware, fleets of heavy vibrotrucks and thousands of seismic receivers have been quietly scanning the Earth below the city in one of Europe’s most ambitious urban geothermal exploration campaigns. The recent completion of a demanding 3D seismic survey campaign by Geofizyka Torun S.A. marks far more than a technical milestone. It represents a glimpse into the future of European energy — a future where cities no longer rely heavily on imported fossil fuels, but instead tap into the immense heat hidden beneath their own foundations. Germany’s geothermal race is accelerating, and Erfurt has suddenly become one of the most fascinating battlegrounds in Europe’...

New Zealand’s Geoheat Breakthrough: Inside the 2026–2027 Action Plan to Scale Low-Carbon Heat Nationwide

New Zealand’s Geoheat Revolution: How Earth Sciences New Zealand and Ara Ake Are Reshaping the Future of Low-Carbon Heat New Zealand is quietly positioning itself at the forefront of one of the most underappreciated but transformative energy transitions in the world: the large-scale adoption of geoheat. While global attention often gravitates toward geothermal electricity, hydrogen, or solar megaprojects, a more immediate and highly practical revolution is unfolding beneath the surface—direct-use geothermal heat under 150°C, now being systematically developed through a coordinated national strategy. The recently released 2026–2027 Geoheat Action Plan marks a pivotal moment in this journey. Developed through a partnership between Earth Sciences New Zealand and Ara Ake, the country’s energy innovation centre, the plan represents a structured attempt to move geoheat from scattered pilot projects into a coordinated, scalable national system. It is not just a research document—it is a depl...

Eavor steps back from operator role in the Geretsried geothermal project

Eavor at the Crossroads: What Geretsried Really Tells Us About the Future of Closed-Loop Geothermal By Alphaxioms Geothermal Insights | May 13, 2026 For years, Eavor Technologies was the geothermal sector's most talked-about enigma. The company raised hundreds of millions of dollars, attracted backing from heavyweights including BP , Chevron , Helmerich & Payne , and Temasek , and made bold promises about a proprietary closed-loop technology that would quietly revolutionise how humanity extracts heat from the earth. But it rarely said much in public. The secrecy was, to many observers in the geothermal community, a feature rather than a bug — protecting intellectual property, managing competitive intelligence, buying time. Now, Eavor is talking. And what it is saying is worth listening to very carefully. In an exclusive interview published on May 13, 2026, by GeoExpro editor Henk Kombrink, Eavor's new president and CEO Mark Fitzgerald — who took the role in October 2025 ...

Ignis H2 Energy and the Mount Augustine Geothermal Breakthrough: How Alaska Is Becoming a Blueprint for Multi-Vector Clean Energy Systems

Ignis H2 Energy and the Mount Augustine Geothermal Breakthrough: Inside Alaska’s Emerging Multi-Vector Energy Frontier By: Robert Buluma   Introduction: A Quiet Deal With Loud Global Implications The energy transition is increasingly being shaped not by isolated power plants, but by integrated energy ecosystems that combine electricity, fuels, minerals, and industrial feedstocks into a single resource base. One of the clearest signals of this shift has emerged from Alaska, where a landmark memorandum of understanding between the State of Alaska and South Korea’s POSCO International has placed the Mount Augustine geothermal project at the center of a multi-sector development vision. While the headlines focus on geopolitics, clean energy expansion, and industrial decarbonization, the deeper story lies in a relatively less publicly visible but strategically important developer: Ignis H2 Energy Inc . Ignis is not just a project developer in this narrative. It is the technical arch...

Globeleq’s 35MW Delay Deepens Kenya Power Rationing Crisis

Globeleq Delays Power Supply: Kenya's Energy Crunch Worsens By Robert Buluma   Published: May 29, 2026 There is an uncomfortable truth settling over Kenya’s electricity sector this week. Just as the country’s industrialists were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief that the worst of the power rationing might be over, a new storm has appeared on the horizon. The British independent power producer, Globeleq, has officially delayed the connection of its 35-megawatt geothermal plant to the national grid. For the average Kenyan who has grown accustomed to the lights flickering off precisely at 6:30 PM, this might sound like just another technical footnote in a long list of energy sector woes. But for those who watch the numbers closely, this is a significant blow. It is a delay that threatens to prolong the agony of scheduled blackouts, pressure Kenya Power’s already strained finances, and expose the fragility of a national grid that is struggling to keep pace with a growing economy....

Rodatherm Energy: The Refrigerant Gambit

By: Robert Buluma   Rodatherm Energy has done something no other geothermal startup has attempted at commercial scale: swapped water for refrigerant in a closed-loop system. The claim is 50% higher thermal efficiency than water-based binary cycles, achieved by circulating a proprietary phase-change fluid through a fully cased, pressurized wellbore. The company emerged from stealth in September 2025 with a $38 million Series A—the largest first venture raise in geothermal history. Lead investor Evok Innovations was joined by Toyota Ventures, TDK Ventures, and the Grantham Foundation. The engineering thesis is elegant. The execution risks are significant. This is an Alphaxioms examination of both. II. The Thermodynamic Distinction Every geothermal company you've covered moves heat using water or steam. Rodatherm moves heat using a fluid that boils and condenses inside the wellbore. In a conventional closed-loop water system (Eavor's model), water circulates as a single-phase liq...

Taiwan’s Deep Geothermal Revolution: The High-Stakes Race to Unlock Endless Clean Energy Beneath the Island Nation

Taiwan’s Deep Geothermal Gamble: Why the Island Nation Is Turning to the Earth’s Heat to Secure Its Energy Future By: Robert Buluma   Taiwan is entering a defining moment in its energy transition. Faced with rising electricity demand, land scarcity, grid pressure, and ambitious renewable energy targets, the island nation is increasingly looking beneath its surface for answers. Deep geothermal energy — once considered a niche or experimental technology — is now emerging as a strategic pillar in Taiwan’s long-term energy security strategy. The shift is not happening in isolation. Across the world, governments are beginning to recognize that renewable energy systems cannot rely solely on solar and wind power. While these technologies have transformed global electricity markets, they also come with structural limitations: intermittency, land-use competition, weather dependency, and grid balancing challenges. For Taiwan, these limitations are becoming increasingly visible. The Minist...

Berlin Eyes 250 MW of Geothermal Heat by 2045 – And a 120 MW Power-to-Heat Plant Is Just the Beginning

Berlin Is Drilling for a 250 MW Miracle – And It Might Just Work The German capital is betting on two radical technologies to kill fossil heat by 2045. One is already under construction. The other lies 2.5 kilometers beneath the Alexanderplatz. By Robert Buluma   June 2, 2026 BERLIN – On a gray morning in May, a few blocks from the Berlin-Mitte combined heat and power plant, Kerstin Busch did something that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. She signed off on a 120-megawatt electric boiler that will turn surplus wind and solar power directly into hot water. “Electricity from wind and solar plants will be directly usable for around 30,000 district heating customers,” said Busch, Technical Managing Director of BEW Berliner Energie und Wärme. The €75 million project, backed by transmission operator 50Hertz, will be online by the end of 2028. That is the headline. But the real story is what Berlin is planning next. Deep beneath the city’s sandy soil, in hot water reservoirs tha...