With roots from the oil industry and a clean profile, geothermal is emerging as the one renewable energy the Trump administration actually likes.
Generated by tapping into the extreme heat at the center of the Earth, geothermal power is an energy unicorn: It's renewable, produces virtually no greenhouse gas emissions and is always on.
"This is just an awesome resource that's under our feet," Chris Wright, head of the United States Energy Department, said in March at an event hosted by Project InnerSpace, a non-profit geothermal advocacy organization.
With adequate government support, experts say, the burgeoning industry could take off in the U.S., helped by expertise and potential investment interest from the country's fossil fuel sector. Importantly, accessing geothermal energy involves techniques similar to drilling for oil and gas.
Currently, traditional geothermal technologies meet less than 1% of global energy demand. By 2050, however, geothermal could meet 15% of global demand if the technology continues to advance and costs continue falling, according to the International Energy Agency.
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