Geothermal energy: Investment needed to develop new tech - BBC News

Start-ups are taking fresh approaches to geothermal energy, but will the economics work?

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Geysers show us there's plenty of heat in the earth's crust

It's hard to get Democrat and Republican politicians to agree on much at the moment, but the benefits of geothermal energy is one rare area of consensus.

Geothermal energy makes use of natural heat below the Earth's surface and the next generation of technology can access hotter, deeper and more varied locations than ever before.

Broadly, the low greenhouse gas emissions of geothermal plants appeals to liberals, while conservatives like the additional energy independence of geothermal, plus the use of drilling technology familiar in the oil and gas industry.

Some US states are trying to accelerate permits for geothermal plants and in April senators from both parties introduced the Next-Generation Geothermal, external Research and Development Act.