Is geothermal energy on the cusp of a worldwide renaissance?

What’s Happening

So get this: The UKs first geothermal plant in Cornwall is part of a wave of projects aiming to meet growing electricity demand, some of them enabled by technology from oil and gas fracturing Analysis and Environment Is geothermal energy on the cusp of a worldwide renaissance?

The UK’s first geothermal plant in Cornwall is part of a wave of projects aiming to meet growing electricity demand, some of them enabled oil and gas fracturing By Alec Luhn 26 February 2026 Facebook / Meta Twitter / X icon Linkedin Reddit Email Geothermal power plant at United Downs in Cornwall, UK Thomas Frost Photography/Geothermal Engineering Limited The UKs electricity grid has kicked off getting its first geothermal power amid a worldwide resurgence of interest in geothermal, thanks to improving well technologies and rising power demand from data centres. The United Downs plant in Cornwall will generate 3 megawatts of electricity while also producing lithium for battery production. (yes, really)

“Let’s call it a renaissance,” says Ryan Law, CEO of Geothermal Engineering Ltd.

The Details

, the company behind United Downs. “There is a lot going on in the US.

There is quite a lot going on in Europe too, I think, in part driven of insatiable demand for 24/7 renewable energy. ” Solar energy is going to power the world much sooner than you think As energy grids come to rely on wind and solar generation that changes with the weather, geothermal can provide continuous clean power with a shorter build time than a nuclear plant and a smaller environmental impact than hydropower.

Why This Matters

Although geothermal power heated Roman baths 2000 years ago and has produced electricity for decades in volcanic hotspots like Iceland and Kenya, it rn meets less than 1 per cent of global energy demand. The International Energy Agency says geothermal could meet up to 15 per cent of the expected growth in electricity demand through 2050, producing more electricity than the US and India consume today. Free to The Earth Edition Unmissable news about our planet, delivered straight to your inbox each month.

This could have implications for future research in this area.

The Bottom Line

Free to The Earth Edition Unmissable news about our planet, delivered straight to your inbox each month. To The United Downs facility has encapsulated the industry’s ups and downs.

What’s your take on this whole situation?