The heat from the depths of the Earth is in the news again. And not only because of the almost unreal images of Kilauea launching jets of lava hundreds of meters high on the Big Island of Hawaii. Also because, while the volcano chains increasingly spectacular eruptive episodes, the United States is rediscovering the energy that those same volcanoes hide beneath the surface. Geothermal energy had been in the background for years. Suddenly, it matters again.
Quite a spectacle. First of all, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has warned that Kilauea is preparing for another high-energy eruptive episode. However, these are not isolated episodes. According to ABC Newsthe volcano has already had 36 and 37 eruptive episodes since December of last year. In some phases, the fountains have reached 300 meters and in others they reached 457 meters, a height comparable to a 100-story skyscraper.
Even so, the entire phenomenon remains contained. All activity remains within the crater, away from homes or structures. That does not detract from the power of the figures: according to the USGSepisode 37 expelled 6.3 million cubic meters of lava in just nine hours, at a rate of around 190 m³ per second. But behind the show, another debate is beginning to make its way.
Hawaii’s untold potential. In fact, as the Hawaii Tribune-Herald recallsSince 1993, the state has had a commercial geothermal plant, Puna Geothermal Venture, located precisely in the East Rift Zone of Kilauea. The University of Hawaii estimates that this facility produces five times more electricity than one of the state’s leading solar parks using 80% less land.
The problem is that Hawaii has never tapped into that potential. The reasons combine real volcanic risksexploration costs and cultural resistance of communities for which drilling is a form of desecration of Pele, the volcano goddess. However, the context has changed. Kilauea’s continued activity brings back to the table a question that seemed shelved: should Hawaii use the heat that fuels its volcanoes to power its electrical grid?
A door that begins to open. The University of Hawaii has been insisting on it for years. According to their analysis, all major islands could have usable geothermal resources, although knowledge outside Kilauea remains limited. Your Play Fairway project, funded by the Department of Energyhas already drawn the first deep heat maps beyond Puna.
The pressure is now political. According to the Hawaiian mediathere are three state agencies competing for funding to re-explore the island in search of new deposits. 80 million public dollars are requested to map resources, drill test wells and reopen the way to a geothermal expansion that has been stalled for decades. The plan includes drilling outside of Puna, on the Big Island, but also in Maui and Oahu, where the resources would be deeper.
As the volcano flares up and spills lava in nine-hour episodes, Hawaii looks under its feet: not at the magma, but at the heat that drives it.
America’s geothermal renaissance. This local turn coincides with a national renaissance. According to a report by WoodMackenziegeothermal investment in North America soared 85% by 2025 in the first quarter alone, with $1.7 billion in public funds. The reason is not in the volcanoes, but in technology. The analysis points out three innovations that are transforming the sector:
According to that analysisthe United States could have 500 gigawatts of geothermal capacity, a figure capable of reconfiguring the country’s energy matrix. However, there is still more.
The hidden engine: data centers and AI. As TechCrunch detailedthis underground energy could cover two-thirds of the electrical consumption of the new data centers that will be built in the United States between now and 2030. And the technology giants are already taking positions.
In fact, the cases are beginning to multiply as is Meta has signed an agreement with Californian startup XGS Energy to generate 150 MW of geothermal electricity by 2030 using a closed-loop system that prevents water leaks. Also Google has done the same partnering with Fervo Energy. Geothermal energy is no longer a marginal experiment: it is an energy outlet for the infrastructure that supports artificial intelligence.
The question left by the volcano. As Kilauea continues its choreography—inflating, roaring, and shooting lava to heights not seen since the 1980s—Hawaii and the rest of the country look downward toward the primeval heat pulsing beneath the crust.
Where nature shows its wildest power, technology sees promise: a forgotten energy resurfacing as the United States the more you need electricity continuous, abundant and clean.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings