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Showing posts from July 28, 2024

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"US Geothermal Tax Credits 2026: What the IRA/45Q Changes Mean for Developers"

US Geothermal Tax Credits in 2026: What Is Actually Still Alive After OBBBA For an industry that spent more than a decade building financial models around a stable federal incentive structure, 2026 has been a year of whiplash. The 30% federal geothermal tax credit that developers and homeowners built forecasts around is gone in one form and still alive in another, and even the IRS’s own public guidance has been confusing enough to trigger uncertainty across the market. That confusion is not a minor clerical issue. It is shaping investment decisions, contractor sales pitches, homeowner timelines, and project finance assumptions right now. If you work in geothermal, the key question is no longer whether federal incentives exist, but which incentive applies, to which project type, and under what ownership structure. The law that changed the timeline To understand where things stand in 2026, you have to start with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which created a long runway for clean e...

Quaise Set To Unleash Millimeter Wave Drilling

Unlocking Earth's Infinite Power: The Revolution of Millimeter Wave Drilling By: Robert Buluma In a groundbreaking test at the  Quaise  laboratory, scientists have taken a monumental step toward tapping into the boundless reservoir of clean energy that lies deep beneath the Earth's surface. This untapped potential, which could power our civilization for millions of years, is now within reach thanks to an innovative technology: millimeter wave drilling. The Hidden Treasure Below Deep geothermal energy holds the promise of providing clean, sustainable power 24/7. Unlike solar or wind, which are intermittent, geothermal energy is constant, driven by the Earth's internal heat. However, accessing this energy, buried deep within the tough, crystalline basement rock, has long been a challenge. Traditional drilling methods falter here, where high pressure and temperature wear down mechanical drill bits rapidly, making the process expensive and inefficient. Enter Millimeter Waves Mi...

Eavor, Government Of Alberta Seeks Input On Alberta Drilling Accelarator

Shaping the Future of Geothermal Energy: Join the Alberta Drilling Accelerator Initiative By: Robert Buluma Imagine a world where the untapped potential of geothermal energy is fully harnessed, propelling us into a future where clean, sustainable power is the norm. This vision is becoming a reality thanks to a groundbreaking initiative led by Eavor Technologies, in partnership with the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA), and the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CADEC). They are seeking your invaluable input on the creation of the Alberta Drilling Accelerator (ADA), a pioneering project poised to revolutionize geothermal drilling technology. The First of Its Kind: A Geothermal Drilling Technology Incubator The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is Canada's first geothermal drilling technology incubator, designed as an open-access platform where the global geothermal community can come together to innovate, test, and commercialize new dril...

Exergy and Rentco Set To Revitilize Kenyas Geothermal With Additional 67 MWe

Exergy  and  Rentco Ignite a Geothermal Revolution in Olkaria: A New Era for Clean Energy in Africa By: Robert Buluma In a groundbreaking move set to redefine Kenya's geothermal landscape,  Exergy and  Rentco have inked a cooperation agreement to turbocharge the Olkaria Geothermal Field with an additional 67 MWe capacity. This ambitious project promises not just incremental gains, but a seismic shift in the region's energy dynamics, signaling a bold new chapter in Africa's clean energy saga. Exergy , renowned for its cutting-edge technology and robust portfolio boasting 500 MW capacity, will supply 8 Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plants, contributing approximately 30 MWe to the project. These ORC plants are part of Rentco 's geothermal wellhead projects in Olkaria, designed to harness both flash and ORC systems, optimizing energy extraction from geothermal resources. The strategic deployment of Exergy’s highly efficient Radial Outflow Turbine (ROT) technology ...

Colorado Vouches On Geothermal and Green Hydrogen

Colorado's Bold Leap Toward a Renewable Future: Geothermal and Hydrogen Power in the Spotlight By:  Robert Buluma In a monumental stride toward a greener future, Colorado is ambitiously setting its sights on achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040. While wind and solar have long been the champions of this green revolution, the state is now exploring the untapped potential of geothermal and hydrogen power to bridge the final gap in its renewable energy quest. This pivotal shift promises not only to revolutionize the state's energy landscape but also to offer a fascinating glimpse into the future of sustainable power. A New Dawn: Geothermal Energy Rising Colorado's geological makeup, rich with subsurface heat, positions it as a prime candidate for geothermal energy development. Governor Jared Polis, a staunch advocate for geothermal, underscores the state's exceptional potential: "We happen to have great subsurface heat in Colorado." This seismological advantage...

GA Drilling and Petrobras Partner Up To Spur Deep Drilling

GA Drilling  and  Petrobras Join Forces to Revolutionize Deep Drilling Efficiency By: Robert Buluma In an era where technological advancements are redefining industries, the recent collaboration between  GA Drilling and  Petrobras marks a significant milestone in the energy sector. Announced on July 25, 2024, this partnership is set to transform the landscape of deep drilling, bringing unprecedented efficiency and cost reduction to the forefront. A Game-Changing Partnership GA Drilling , a leader in drilling innovations, has teamed up with Petrobras , one of the world's largest energy companies, to develop a next-generation downhole drilling system. This collaboration, involving Petrobras' renowned research and innovation center, Cenpes, promises to de-risk ultra-deep drilling while enhancing speed and extending tool life. Cutting-Edge Technology At the heart of this partnership lies  GA Drilling pioneering downhole anchoring and drive system. This technolog...

US Reduces Geothermal Permitting Stage From Seven to Two Years

Energy Permitting Legislation from Senators Manchin & Barrasso Will Advance Geothermal in US By: Robert Buluma Accelarated NEPA timelines In a significant step towards a cleaner energy future, the U.S. Senate has introduced the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, a transformative piece of legislation that promises to revolutionize the geothermal energy sector. This landmark bill, incorporating crucial elements of the bipartisan Geothermal Energy Optimization (GEO) Act of 2024, aims to streamline the permitting process for geothermal projects, significantly accelerating their development across the country .  Eavor Technologies Inc., a leader in advanced geothermal solutions, has hailed this legislation as a major breakthrough. Jeanine Vany, Eavor's co-founder and executive vice president of corporate affairs, expressed enthusiastic support, highlighting how the bill will facilitate the deployment of Eavor's groundbreaking closed-loop geothermal technology. This innovative...

Popular posts from this blog

Alphaxioms Interviews Rystad Energy: Geothermal's Inflection Point, Policy, and Drilling Breakthroughs

Geothermal at an Inflection Point: Why Policy, Conventional Resources, and Drilling Breakthroughs Will Define the Next Decade This interview was conducted by Robert Buluma on behalf of Alphaxioms,  responses delivered by  Alexandra Gerken Product manager, Geothermal solution at Rystad Energy   Introduction: The Strategic Crossroads for Geothermal Geothermal energy is entering a decisive phase. After decades of steady but regionally concentrated development, the sector now faces a confluence of technological innovation, policy ambition, and market demand that could either unlock global scale or confine geothermal to niche applications. Alexandra Gerken, Product Manager for Geothermal Solutions at  Rystad Energy , offers a clear-eyed assessment of where the industry stands, which technologies will drive near-term growth, and what must happen for geothermal to become a globally significant source of firm, low-carbon power. Her analysis emphasizes three pillars: the imme...

Green Therma Selects H&P to Drill Denmark’s Longest Geothermal Well

Green Therma Selects H&P to Drill Denmark’s Longest Geothermal Well for Aalborg Heat4Ever Demonstration Denmark is moving from geothermal ambition to execution. Green Therma has selected Helmerich & Payne to drill the Heat4Ever demonstration well near Aalborg, a project that could become one of the country’s most technically ambitious geothermal developments and a meaningful test of closed-loop district heating.   A milestone for Danish geothermal The Aalborg Heat4Ever project matters because it is designed to prove that geothermal heat can be delivered without relying on a natural hot-water reservoir. Instead of producing groundwater from a conventional geothermal field, the system uses a closed-loop pipe-in-pipe design that circulates the same fluid downhole, heats it in contact with hot rock, and returns it to the surface for district heating use.  That distinction is important for Denmark, where district heating is already a major part of the energy system ...

Serbia Advances Mišeluk Geothermal District Heating Project in Novi Sad

Serbia Advances Geothermal Drilling for the Mišeluk District Heating Plant in Novi Sad Serbia is moving forward with plans to develop a geothermal district heating system in Mišeluk, a rapidly urbanizing area of Novi Sad. The project is intended to place geothermal energy at the centre of a new low-carbon heating network, supported by solar power and natural gas backup. Exploratory drilling and construction of the heat distribution network are being carried out by JKP Novosadska toplana, Novi Sad’s public district heating utility. The initiative is supported through the United Nations Development Programme’s “Geothermal Energy in Serbia” programme, with financial backing from Slovakia.  The Mišeluk project is important not only because it could provide a new renewable heat source for Novi Sad, but also because it demonstrates how geothermal energy can be integrated into urban development from the earliest planning stages. Rather than retrofitting a geothermal system into an establi...

New Mexico Tribal Geothermal Development: Energy Sovereignty, Jobs, Investment

New Mexico’s Tribal Lands Poised for Geothermal Development: Opportunity, Challenges, and Pathways to Energy Sovereignty Image:  Located in Lordsburg, Lightning Dock is the only utility scale geothermal power plant in New Mexico. (BLM New Mexico via Flickr) Why geothermal matters for New Mexico tribes, nations, and pueblos Geothermal energy uses heat from the earth to produce electricity or heat buildings directly. For New Mexico — a state with abundant subsurface heat resources — geothermal offers a reliable, low‑emission complement to wind and solar. Unlike intermittent renewables, geothermal provides baseload power capable of supporting grid stability and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. For tribal communities, geothermal has particular appeal: it aligns with many Indigenous values around stewardship, can be developed with relatively low water demand compared with some thermal technologies, and offers long‑term revenue, jobs, and enhanced local control over energy resources. E...

North America Geothermal Energy Investment Opportunities, Companies, Resources, and Market Outlook

Investment Opportunities in North American Geothermal Energy North America is entering a new investment cycle in geothermal energy. The United States offers the region’s deepest commercial market and the largest advanced-geothermal pipeline; Mexico provides proven high-temperature volcanic resources and an established utility-scale industry; while Canada presents an earlier-stage opportunity centered on sedimentary-basin geothermal, direct-use heating, closed-loop systems, and oil-and-gas technology transfer. The investment case now extends well beyond conventional geothermal power plants. It includes enhanced geothermal systems, advanced closed-loop systems, geothermal heat pumps, district heating, industrial heat, geothermal storage, lithium extraction from geothermal brines, data-center power, and hybrid renewable-energy projects. In the United States, utilities had already procured or agreed to procure 1,007 MW of next-generation geothermal capacity through 12 power-purchase agreem...

NYC Subway Thermal Energy Network Pilot: Geothermal Heat Capture, Radiant Cooling, Seasonal Storage

New York’s Subway Heat Turned into Winter Warmth: The City’s First Transit Thermal Energy Network Pilot Turning platform heat into usable energy — what the Chambers Street and Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall pilot means for urban energy systems New York City has launched a study to design and test a Thermal Energy Network (TEN) that would capture excess heat from two of Lower Manhattan’s hottest subway stations and reuse it to heat nearby municipal buildings. The proposed pilot, centered on the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall 4/5/6 complex and the Chambers Street J/Z station, is notable for being the first time TENs are being considered inside a U.S. transit system. The plan pairs radiant cooling on platforms with geothermal borehole storage under an abandoned center platform at Chambers Street, converting otherwise wasted heat into a supply that can be stored seasonally and delivered to surrounding municipal facilities during colder months. This initiative sits at the intersection of urban heat r...

€200 Million Dutch Geothermal Financing Accelerates Sustainable Greenhouse Heat Growth

€200 Million Financing Accelerates Dutch Geothermal Energy Cluster in Centraal Oostland A new financing framework of up to €200 million is set to accelerate the development of a major geothermal energy cluster in Centraal Oostland, a greenhouse horticulture region in South Holland, the Netherlands. The facility, arranged by ING and Rabobank for renewable heat infrastructure platform 85 Degrees Renewable, will support the next phase of geothermal development in the region. The funding is expected to finance new geothermal wells, expand heat distribution infrastructure and strengthen the long-term growth of an integrated renewable heat platform serving greenhouse growers. The transaction is significant not only because of its size, but also because it demonstrates the growing ability of geothermal heat projects to attract institutional and bank financing. It highlights a shift from treating geothermal energy as a collection of individual drilling projects toward developing integrated hea...

Innargi Geothermal drives Europe's renewable district heating decarbonisation from Aarhus to Poland

Innargi Geothermal, Decarbonising Europe's Heat, One City at a Time In an era defined by the urgent need to decarbonise Europe’s energy systems, one critical sector often remains overlooked, heating. Accounting for a substantial portion of the continent’s energy consumption, the heating sector has long been dominated by fossil fuels and biomass. Enter Innargi Geothermal, a Danish company on a mission to change that, one community at a time. Founded in 2017 by A.P. Møller Holding , Innargi has rapidly evolved from a single-project venture in Aarhus into an international geothermal energy company with a growing portfolio across Northern and Eastern Europe. By applying decades of subsurface expertise from the oil and gas industry to the untapped potential of geothermal energy, Innargi is industrialising geothermal district heating at a scale never before seen in the European Union. This article takes a deep dive into Innargi’s operations, exploring its revolutionary business model a...

Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki GT-1 Thermal Water Exploration Well: Project Overview, Funding, and Investment Potential

Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki GT,1 Thermal Water Exploration Well: Project Overview, Funding, and Investment Potential Project background and objectives The town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki signed grant agreement No. 52/2025/Wn07/FG,hg,dg on 20 February 2025 with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) under the “Making Poland’s Thermal Waters Accessible” priority program. The grant fully funds the execution of a single exploration and appraisal borehole, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki GT,1, aimed at locating and characterizing geothermal waters for heating, recreational and balneotherapy uses. The direct objective is to perform geological works to identify and appraise thermal water resources and to make them available for municipal and commercial uses. The drilling target is one borehole to a design depth of 2,070 m (±10%). The project’s declared operational target is to assess thermal water yield and temperature to determine suitability for district heating, spa, recr...

Top 100 Geothermal Companies in the World in 2026: The Ultimate Industry Guide

Top 100 Geothermal Companies in the World in 2026: The Ultimate Industry Guide The global geothermal industry is entering a new phase of growth. Established geothermal operators continue to expand conventional hydrothermal power, while enhanced geothermal systems, closed loop designs, geothermal lithium extraction, advanced drilling, and geothermal heating technologies are opening new markets. Geothermal power remains one of the few renewable energy sources capable of supplying firm electricity around the clock. Its ability to operate independently of sunshine and wind makes it increasingly valuable to utilities, industrial users, manufacturers, and data centers seeking reliable low carbon power. This guide profiles 100 of the most influential companies, developers, manufacturers, drilling contractors, technology providers, startups, and industry organizations shaping the geothermal sector in 2026. The ranking is organized by market influence, operating capacity, technology, project pi...