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Global Geothermal Power Market Review 2026.

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Global Geothermal Power: Policies, Funding, Wells, Strengths, Opportunities and Barriers Geothermal is moving into a broader investment cycle. In 2026, the story is no longer limited to volcanic power plants in a few classic markets; it now includes enhanced geothermal systems, closed-loop designs, district heating, superhot rock, lithium from brines and industrial heat. Across the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Iceland, France and Italy, the sector is being shaped by a simple question: who is de-risking the first wells, and who is ready to finance the next ones?  United States: the next-generation testbed The United States has the broadest geothermal innovation ecosystem in this group, with a mature conventional base in the West and a fast-growing next-generation pipeline. The main policy signal in 2026 is the Department of Energy’s US$171.5 million funding opportunity for next-generation geothermal field-scale tests, exploration...
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Germany Invests €18.8 Million in Geothermal Energy at FH Münster

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Germany Invests €18.8 Million in Geothermal Energy at FH Münster North Rhine-Westphalia is putting geothermal energy at the center of its strategy to build more sustainable, energy-efficient and research-driven infrastructure. The state government has committed €18.8 million to expand geothermal heating and cooling at FH Münster’s Technology Campus Steinfurt, creating a major real-world laboratory for geothermal heat pumps, energy efficiency and climate-neutral campus development. The funding is part of the €60 billion Nordrhein-Westfalen-Plan für gute Infrastruktur , a 12-year infrastructure investment program described by the state as the largest investment program in North Rhine-Westphalia’s history. Of the total program, €2.3 billion is allocated to universities, research, higher education and knowledge transfer. For geothermal energy, the Steinfurt project is particularly significant because it goes beyond simply installing a heating system. The campus is being transformed into a...
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Chicago’s Geothermal-Powered High-Rise Could Redefine Sustainable Urban Development

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Chicago’s Geothermal-Powered High-Rise Could Redefine Sustainable Urban Development Chicago is preparing to welcome one of its first all-electric, geothermal-powered residential high-rises—a 33-story tower at 410 N. Elizabeth Street in Fulton Market. The project could demonstrate how large urban buildings can reduce fossil-fuel dependence, lower operating costs and cut carbon emissions without sacrificing density, comfort or year-round reliability.  A New Model for Chicago High-Rise Construction The 410 N. Elizabeth Street development is being built by Tree Street Group in partnership with Magellan Development Group and  Mark Goodman & Associates . The first phase will deliver 383 apartments, including 77 designated affordable units, while a planned second tower would bring the overall development to more than 724 residences and 146 affordable homes.  The project is also expected to include ground-floor retail, public green space and a 30-foot-wide pedestrian walkway...
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New York’s Geothermal Push Could Reshape Heating and Cooling Costs

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
New York Is Betting on Geothermal to Cut Heating Costs Image:New Yorks Statue of Liberty,  " Forever Liberated " New York is moving geothermal and thermal energy networks from niche ideas into real-world pilots, with state support, utility investment, and an explicit goal of lowering long-term utility bills. The latest projects in Syracuse and Buffalo show two different paths to the same objective: make clean heating and cooling cheaper, easier to install, and scalable across more buildings. Why New York is investing now The state’s push is rooted in a simple idea: heating and cooling still account for a large share of building energy use, and existing systems waste a lot of usable heat. NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris said geothermal demonstrations are meant to reduce costs for consumers and help technologies move from innovation to commercialization at scale. That matters because the biggest barrier to adoption is often not the technology itself, but the upfront co...
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Top 10 Critical Geothermal Energy Problems Costs Risks Seismicity

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Top 10 Geothermal Problems: Why a 24/7 Resource Still Struggles to Scale Image credit : Fida, C.E.O Geosilica... This is what scaling looks like downhole in geothermal pipes Intelligence; Strategy for the Geothermal Decade Geothermal energy is often presented as the clean firm resource that can support a renewable electricity system around the clock. It does not depend on sunshine, it can operate through calm weather, and it can provide heat and power for decades. Kenya already relies heavily on geothermal generation , Iceland uses geothermal heat across its economy, and next generation developers are now signing large power contracts with technology companies seeking reliable carbon free electricity. Yet the global geothermal sector remains small compared with solar and wind, with installed electricity capacity still near 16 GW.  That gap is not caused by one obstacle. It is produced by a chain of interlocking problems involving geology, drilling, finance, permitting, public acce...
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Serbia Advances Mišeluk Geothermal District Heating Project in Novi Sad

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
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...
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Global Geothermal Power Market Review 2026.

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Global Geothermal Power: Policies, Funding, Wells, Strengths, Opportunities and Barriers Geothermal is moving into a broader investment cycle. In 2026, the story is no longer limited to volcanic power plants in a few classic markets; it now includes enhanced geothermal systems, closed-loop designs, district heating, superhot rock, lithium from brines and industrial heat. Across the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Iceland, France and Italy, the sector is being shaped by a simple question: who is de-risking the first wells, and who is ready to finance the next ones?  United States: the next-generation testbed The United States has the broadest geothermal innovation ecosystem in this group, with a mature conventional base in the West and a fast-growing next-generation pipeline. The main policy signal in 2026 is the Department of Energy’s US$171.5 million funding opportunity for next-generation geothermal field-scale tests, exploration...
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Alphaxioms Interviews Rystad Energy: Geothermal's Inflection Point, Policy, and Drilling Breakthroughs

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
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...
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North America Geothermal Energy Investment Opportunities, Companies, Resources, and Market Outlook

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
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...
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PT Geo Dipa Energi Launches Strategic Minor Overhaul Tender for Dieng Unit 1 to Strengthen Geothermal Reliability

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
PT Geo Dipa Energi Opens Tender for Minor Overhaul of Dieng Unit 1 in 2026 Image: Indonesian Geothermal power plant PT Geo Dipa Energi (Persero) has opened a tender for the minor overhaul of the Dieng Geothermal Power Plant Unit 1 in 2026, signaling a continued focus on preserving the reliability of one of Indonesia’s most important geothermal assets. The procurement is aimed at selecting a qualified contractor with proven experience in turbine and generator maintenance for thermal power plants, underscoring the technical complexity and operational importance of the work. The tender, identified as RKS-004-PST/GDE/I/2026, uses a post-qualification bidding method and applies strict administrative, technical, and safety requirements. The schedule places document registration and collection between 26 and 28 January 2026, followed by a mandatory RKS explanation session and field visit on 29 January 2026. Procurement Scope and Process The procurement procedure requires prospective bidders...
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New Mexico Tribal Geothermal Development: Energy Sovereignty, Jobs, Investment

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
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...
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"US Geothermal Tax Credits 2026: What the IRA/45Q Changes Mean for Developers"

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
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...
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Green Therma Selects H&P to Drill Denmark’s Longest Geothermal Well

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
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 ...
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Geothermal Innovation, Superhot Systems, Social License, and the Future of Global Geothermal Energy

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
In this interview, Dr. Amel Barich, Founder & CEO of Geoscience Research and Communications (GRC) , shares insights into the future of geothermal energy, covering superhot geothermal systems, advanced drilling, international collaboration, social license to operate, developing-country opportunities, and the growing role of geothermal in integrated energy systems.  Image : Dr. Amel Barich Founder & CEO, Geoscience Research and Communications (GRC) Geoscientist | Geothermal R&D&I | Social License to Operate Q1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and describe your current role in advancing geothermal innovation? I am a geoscientist and geothermal professional with a background spanning geothermal research and innovation, international collaboration, policy and science diplomacy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communication. Over the past decade, I have worked from Iceland across major European and international geothermal initiatives, leading collaborative R...
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