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Cindy D. Taff, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Geosystems, poses for a photo on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena, Texas. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground. “There’s some people that believe that there’s a climate crisis, and some people don’t believe it. We want this to be the energy of choice whether you believe in it or not because it’s cost-effective as well.” 
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
The new energy race

In Texas, ex-oil and gas workers champion geothermal energy as a replacement for fossil-fueled power plants

Texas has become an early hot spot for geothermal energy exploration as scores of former oil industry workers and executives are taking their knowledge to a new energy source.


The water which is flow-back from the well, located to the right, is seen during a mechanical storage demonstration site on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena, Texas. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
The turbine demonstration, which shows that they can convert pressure energy into mechanical and generate energy, is seen on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
Cory Davis, 31, pump operator, monitors the flow-back of the well which generates electricity on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena, Texas. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
View of Hverager city. 85% of the energy produced in Iceland is of sustainable origin (hydro and geothermal), of which 66% is geothermal. Its inhabitants have used this energy for hundreds of years to enjoy thermal baths, but today it has many more applications, for example, supplying heat to 9 out of 10 homes and providing energy to industries with large needs. Thanks to this inexhaustible source of heat and its low price, it is also possible to grow fruit and vegetables in greenhouses all year round. They use no chemicals, only biological solutions, and are irrigated with high quality water. Local producers and universities agree that this type of agriculture has a very promising future for the island. When people discover its advantages, they will build hectares and hectares of these greenhouses.
Cindy D. Taff, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Geosystems, explains how they use the well to store energy on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena, Texas. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune

Building interest in geothermal 

Student Jamie Beard at Appalachian State University.
Italy: Larderello geothermal plant
Photos from Enel Green Power's historical archive of the construction of the Larderello geothermal power plant in Tuscany.
Jamie Beard at a SXSW panel in March, 2024.

Early successes 

Fervo CEO Tim Latimer poses for a portrait at the Fervo Energy office in Houston on March 22, 2024.

Drilling deeper

Henry Phan, vice president of engineering for Quaise Energy, poses for a portrait with a wave guide in Houston, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune)
Employees of Quaise Energy stand next to a repurposed drilling rig that will hold a wave guide in Houston, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune)
Vaporized basalt rock from testing at Quaise Energy in Houston, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune)

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