The Newberry Volcano in central Oregon is set among a ravishing landscape of ancient lava flows, lakes and pine forests. Every year droves of tourists come to admire the geological phenomenon, which was formed over 600,000 years ago.

But this region, in the Pacific Northwest, is also on the verge of becoming a major player in the nation’s green energy transition: just under two miles underground here lies a hot new sustainable energy source — powered by the Earth’s heat.

“Superhot rock is everywhere, but in Newberry it is very shallow,” says Pete Lumley, director of communications at Mazama Energy, a startup that has begun developing cutting-edge geothermal projects in Oregon that are harnessing the potent heat.

While geothermal — using natural subterranean heat to produce energy — has been around for decades, recent advances in technology mean that its potential output is skyrocketing while it is becoming ever-more affordable for consumers.

Mazama’s approach involves injecting water at very high pressure into rocks, which in Newberry are located close to the surface relative to comparable drilling projects and whose temperatures range from 300 to 400 degrees Celsius. Under these hotter conditions, the water becomes what’s known as “supercritical” — a state combining the properties of a liquid and a gas — and is then sent through turbines to generate energy. The company says their method, which is possible thanks to cooling systems that allow drills to be used in much hotter temperatures than previously, produces an energy yield that is five to 10 times greater than that of conventional geothermal power plants, all while using 75 percent less water and requiring 80 percent fewer wells to be drilled.

“We are calling this era the geothermal renaissance,” adds Lumley.

In the race towards decarbonization, solar panels and wind turbines often capture the spotlight. Yet geothermal, which can be used for heating as well as electricity generation, could be a powerful, reliable hero of the world’s clean energy transition. According to the International Energy Agency, the global energy authority, with continued technology improvements and reductions in project costs, geothermal could cover as much as 15 percent of the growth in global electricity demand between 2024 and 2050. It estimates worldwide geothermal capacity could reach 800 gigawatts by then, with an output of almost 6,000 terawatt-hours per year, which is the equivalent of the combined electricity demand of the U.S. and India today.

Read the full article about geothermal energy by Peter Yeung at Reasons to Be Cheerful.