Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
Summary
Advances in geothermal energy, propelled by the Biden Administration, have significant potential for decarbonization nationwide, including in Pennsylvania.
Exploiting the nation’s geothermal resources is a hot decarbonization topic.
The United States already generates the most geothermal electricity in the world—enough to power 2.7 million U.S. homes. But a 2023 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report found vastly greater potential—enough to meet the needs of 65 million homes.
How do we get there?
By applying the same horizontal drilling technology that unlocked Pennsylvania’s Marcellus formation, coupled with public investment in the development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) for electricity generation and other direct uses.
The nation’s EGS potential is largely concentrated in the west.
A 2024 Princeton-led study found that cost declines in drilling technology could lead to over 100 gigawatts of geothermal projects there—more capacity than all U.S. nuclear power plants.
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