{"id":558,"date":"2026-04-06T23:25:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T22:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/geothermal-energy-the-hidden-treasure-beneath-our-feet-could-power-15-of-global-electricity-demand-by-2050\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T22:25:23","slug":"geothermal-energy-the-hidden-treasure-beneath-our-feet-could-power-15-of-global-electricity-demand-by-2050","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/geothermal-energy-the-hidden-treasure-beneath-our-feet-could-power-15-of-global-electricity-demand-by-2050\/","title":{"rendered":"Geothermal Energy: The Hidden Treasure Beneath Our Feet Could Power 15% of Global Electricity Demand by 2050"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

This subterranean phenomenon that turns Earth’s heat into energy available 24\/7 and 365 days a year<\/h2>\n

Geothermal energy involves capturing the natural heat stored beneath the Earth\u2019s surface. This energy does not rely on the sun or the wind. It draws directly from the planet, at depths of roughly 500 to 2,500 meters, and remains continuously available.<\/p>\n

Read also<\/span> Faced with a changing climate, animals and plants accelerate their migration far beyond scientific forecasts<\/span><\/section>\n

This principle rests on the geothermal gradient<\/strong>: the temperature of the subsoil rises by about 3 \u00b0C every 100 meters. The deeper one goes into the Earth’s crust, the more intense the heat becomes. This value varies with local geology, but stays sufficiently constant to guarantee predictable production.<\/p>\n

The captured heat serves two main purposes: heating buildings and producing electricity. The installations rely on deep drilling, then inject or withdraw fluids depending on the chosen technique. The result: a controllable energy source<\/strong>, with no significant emissions, and renewable on a human timescale.<\/p>\n

United States leads, Philippines, Indonesia: how the global geothermal podium was built in 2025<\/h2>\n

Global Energy Monitor data published in March 2026 place the United States<\/strong> at the top with 3,953 MW. Indonesia follows with 2,742 MW, ahead of the Philippines at 2,034 MW. Together, these three nations account for more than half of the world\u2019s installed geothermal capacity.<\/p>\n

Read also<\/span> In France, mushrooms still marked by Chernobyl worry scientists about the invisible legacy of nuclear<\/span><\/section>\n

Beyond this trio, Turkey (1,726 MW) and New Zealand (1,377 MW) complete a solid top five. Mexico, Kenya and Italy also figure among the leading nations. In total, ten countries concentrate more than 93% of the world\u2019s installed geothermal capacity.<\/p>\n

Iceland: the country that heats 90% of its homes with geothermal energy, a model few nations can replicate<\/h2>\n

Ninth in the global ranking, Iceland arguably exemplifies geothermal potential better than any other nation. Thanks to its intense volcanic activity, this Nordic country heats nearly 90% of its housing with this resource. It also accounts for around 28% of its national electricity production.<\/p>\n

France, 27th in the global ranking, shows only 2 MW of installed capacity for geothermal electricity. This modest position is explained by a subsurface less favorable to the temperatures required for electricity production. Nevertheless, France stands out as the second European producer of deep geothermal heat<\/strong>, behind Italy.<\/p>\n

Read also<\/span> This clay pot buried in the garden halves your water consumption in the warmer months<\/span><\/section>\n

Why demand for geothermal energy will accelerate, and what still hinders its deployment worldwide<\/h2>\n

The rising power of artificial intelligence is driving an unprecedented energy demand. Data centers require a reliable, continuously available supply. Geothermal energy meets this need precisely. It produces energy consistently, whatever the weather.<\/p>\n

The International Energy Agency is optimistic. Geothermal could account for about 15% of the growth in global electricity demand by 2050. Moreover, its low carbon footprint<\/strong> makes it a major asset: roughly 38 gCO\u2082 per kWh.<\/p>\n

However, real obstacles limit its expansion. Drilling and installation costs remain high, and corrosion risks pose technical challenges. Most importantly, high-enthalpy geothermal activity remains tied to volcanic zones<\/strong>. This geographic lock mechanically constrains its deployment on a global scale.<\/p>\n

Read also<\/span> Rare earths: France builds its first recycling plant to counter the Chinese monopoly<\/span><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[241,758,667,689,166,755,688,279,757,756],"class_list":["post-558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-beneath","tag-demand","tag-electricity","tag-energy","tag-feet","tag-geothermal","tag-global","tag-hidden","tag-power","tag-treasure","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":560,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions\/560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}