Geothermal energy’s massive leap forward

Could geothermal soon overtake nuclear power? Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist's Global energy & climate innovation editor and winner of the Energy Writer of the Year Award 2025, speaks to Alok Jha, host of the Babbage podcast, about long-neglected geothermal energy and the new suite of technologies that could finally see it rolled out across the world. 00:00 — Why Has Geothermal Energy Been So Limited Until Now? 01:25 — What Is Geothermal Energy and Where Does the Heat Come From? 03:10 — What’s Driving the New Optimism Around Geothermal Power? 05:42 — Which New Technologies Could Make Geothermal Work Everywhere? 08:53 — How Close Are We to Commercial-Scale Geothermal Power? 10:27 — What Are the Remaining Risks and Roadblocks to Global Adoption? Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4iQH0ku Geothermal kit can help make the power grid flexible: https://econ.st/3Mw2Spo Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr #TheEconomist #Geothermal #Environment