How new tech is making geothermal energy a more versatile power source

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What could possibly go wrong? lol

Famously, one EGS plant in South Korea was abruptly shuttered in 2017 after having probably caused a 5.5-magnitude earthquake

OK, I don't want to be a complete Negative Nellie on this one, geothermal power does have potential and if you can drill enough big enough deep enough wells, then do the requisite fracking to connect the downspout and upspout, AND these miles deep holes and cracks remain clear and open for 50 years or more generating power to pay off the cost of drilling and building the power plant, it could be a contributor to the total mix of carbon free energy extraction.  That's a lot of ifs though.

One thing is pretty clear though, TPTB are becoming increasingly frantic about finding/developing alternative sources of energy to keep their dreams of a high energy techno-futuristic utopia of AI, robotics, flying cars, Mars colonies and interstellar travel alive.  It seems like every day now we hear about a new source of energy to be tapped and/or a new way to store it.

Maybe if they had got rolling on some of this shit 50 years ago in the 1970s enough of it might be online today to make a somewhat smooth transition off FFs.  As it is, they are decades late and gigawatts short of getting it all up and running before the blackouts and shortages start making their way in from the periphery of 3rd world countries into the belly of the beast in Europe and the FSoA, where the road to ruin began back in ~1750 with the coal fired steam engine and 1859 with the first oil well in Pennsylvania.

It will be interesting to see how far they get though before the dream finally meets reality.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/how-new-tech-is-making-geothermal-energy-a-more-versatile-power-source/

How new tech is making geothermal energy a more versatile power source

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As opposed to heating, one area of high electricity consumption that I think is viable is using the earth as a heat sink for neighborhoods with high summer air temps.  Caves like the Carlsbad Caverns stay at a steady temp of around 66F year round regardless of summer air temperatures.  By pumping water underground to cool it and then bringing it back up and using a forced air radiator system instead of an HVAC system, you could keep buildings at a comfortable 70F or so in summer.  That would work great in a place like TX.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/geothermal-energy-showcased-in-austin-potential-powerhouse-for-texas-grid/

Geothermal energy showcased in Austin, potential powerhouse for Texas' grid

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