Geothermal Energy: 24/7 Power Solution for AI and Decarbonization

Name: Heat Beneath Your Feet | Sai Rao, MSx ’26
Uploaded: 2026-04-03T19:48:58.751568+00:00
Duration: 10 min 5 s
Channel: Stanford Graduate School of Business
Description: Summary and key takeaways on Heat Beneath Your Feet | Sai Rao, MSx ’26: Summary & Key Takeaways, covering Personal Narrative Working on a North Atlantic drill

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Apr 03, 2026

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10 min video

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2 min read

YouTube video ID: WHr1toL5i9k

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Working on a North Atlantic drill ship meant sending a drill through 7,000 ft of water and then another 25,000 ft beneath the seafloor. The crew faced constant risks of well collapse and stuck pipes, which required immediate pressure stabilization. The expertise and equipment used in those deep‑water operations translate directly to other subsurface energy projects.

The Energy Challenge

AI models are driving a surge in electricity demand; a single ChatGPT query can consume up to ten times the energy of a typical Google search. Projections show data centers will account for 8 % of all U.S. electricity use by 2030. Solar and wind provide clean power but are intermittent, creating a clear need for a weather‑independent, 24/7 energy source.

The Geothermal Solution

Earth’s core burns at roughly 10,000 °F, radiating heat outward into rocks three miles (5 km) below the surface. That heat has been available for 4.5 billion years and can be harvested continuously. The Department of Energy estimates that geothermal electricity capacity could reach 90 GW by 2050, offering a reliable complement to solar and wind.

Implementation

Geothermal extraction mirrors oil‑and‑gas drilling. Two wells are drilled into hot rock; cold water is pumped down the first well, travels through rock at 300 °F–750 °F (150 °C–400 °C), absorbs thermal energy, and returns through the second well as hot water or steam. The surface steam drives turbines to generate electricity, while the hot water can supply district heating. Companies such as Fervo Energy have already applied oil‑and‑gas techniques to create enhanced geothermal systems, demonstrating the practicality of this approach.

Future Outlook

Scaling geothermal relies on adapting existing drilling expertise, expanding the “all of the above” energy strategy, and encouraging human innovation. By expanding mental models from just solar and wind to include “solar, wind, and rock,” the energy transition can secure a continuous, weather‑independent power supply that supports AI growth and broader decarbonization goals.

Takeaways

Deep‑water drilling expertise can be repurposed to tap Earth’s constant heat for power generation.
AI workloads are pushing data center electricity use toward 8 % of U.S. consumption by 2030, highlighting the need for reliable baseload energy.
Geothermal heat, sourced from the 10,000 °F core, offers a weather‑independent, 24/7 power source that has existed for billions of years.
The extraction process uses two wells: cold water is injected, heated by hot rock, and returned as steam to drive turbines or provide district heating.
Scaling geothermal to 90 GW by 2050 requires an "all of the above" strategy that blends solar, wind, and rock‑based power.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is geothermal considered a 24/7 energy source compared to solar and wind?

Geothermal draws heat from the Earth’s core, which remains constant regardless of weather or time of day, delivering continuous power. Solar and wind depend on sunlight and wind patterns, making them intermittent and requiring backup sources for round‑the‑clock supply.

How does the geothermal extraction process work using oil and gas drilling techniques?

The process drills two wells into hot rock, injects cold water down the first well, and lets it absorb heat as it circulates through rock at 300 °F–750 °F. The heated fluid returns through the second well as steam or hot water, which then drives turbines or provides heating.

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Helpful resources related to this video

If you want to practice or explore the concepts discussed in the video, these commonly used tools may help.

Books On Geothermal Energy Technology Recommended

Provides a deeper technical understanding of how geothermal systems extract heat from the Earth's crust, complementing the lecture's focus on energy transition.

Amazon →

Renewable Energy Engineering Textbook

Explains the physics and engineering principles behind various power generation methods, including the geothermal systems discussed in the brief.

Amazon →

Portable Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera

Allows users to visualize heat transfer and thermal energy in real-world environments, providing a practical way to understand the principles of heat extraction.

Amazon →

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Full Transcript YouTube

1:40 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The phone in my room rings loudly and
jolts me out of bed.
I climb down from the upper bunk
and answer the call.
"Roger that, sir." I said.
I put on my coveralls, hard hat, and
steel-toed boots and head out.
Now, you may be wondering where I am.
Here she is,
our drill ship, right in her element in
the North Atlantic exploring for oil.
Over two football fields long, she is a
factory, offices, accommodations, and a
restaurant all in one.
For a large part of 2 and 1/2 years,
this was home.
Our job,
drill through 25,000 ft of rock beneath
the seafloor.
But to even get to the seafloor, you
first need to go through 7,000 ft of
ocean water.
That's five times the height of the
Empire State Building.
Total depth, 6 miles, roughly two round
trips to the Trader Joe's off campus.
Tonight, it's raining.
The ship is heaving.
I grab hold of the handrail and make my
way to the drill floor, but something
feels off. I can smell it in the air.
I push open the door to the doghouse,
the nerve center of the operation.
I feel the vibrations through my boots.
The pumps are hammering at full pressure
and the pressures are spiking up and
down, but the drill pipe
isn't moving.
5 miles below us, something is seriously
wrong.
The well is collapsing and the pipe is
getting stuck.
Mother Nature is reminding us who's in
charge.
"Not today." she says.
And when Mother Nature talks,
you don't mess around and find out.
You respect her and back off.
This wasn't the well I had planned. I
was concerned.
I run the calculations and I watch the
crew
as they move with practiced calm, clear
instructions,
and hand gestures through the roar of
the machinery.
40 minutes later, it's all over.
Pressures stabilize, the vibrations die
down, and the drill pipe is free.
I step outside into the Atlantic
darkness with a cup of coffee in my
hands and think to myself,
>> [sighs]
>> "Just another day at the office."
This is where energy lies, folks, in the
rocks beneath us.
Now, you may be wondering,
"Oh, great. Another oil and gas guy
telling us to drill, baby, drill."
>> [laughter]
>> While oil is important, I want to focus
today's talk on something else that's
there within these rocks.
The heat.
The heat beneath your feet.
Friends, we live at the intersection of
two major inflection points.
On the one hand,
our planet is craving to be
decarbonized.
On the other,
we humans are building the most
energy-hungry technology of all time,
artificial intelligence.
A single ChatGPT query can consume up to
10 times the energy of a Google search.
Data centers are consuming more energy
than some countries even,
and they're expected to consume about 8%
of all US electricity by 2030.
So, where will all this new energy come
from?
When we think of clean energy, we think
of solar panels and wind turbines.
These are great,
but the sun sets every day and the wind
doesn't blow all the time.
So, you see the problem here.
But there is an energy source that runs
24/7,
365 days a year, and it doesn't care
about the weather.
In fact, it's been running for 4.5
billion years with no end in sight.
I'm talking about geothermal energy,
the heat trapped in the underground
rock,
the heat beneath your feet.
Are you ready to learn more about this
steaming hot opportunity?
ARE YOU READY?
>> [cheering and applause]
>> NOW, YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHERE THESE
rocks really are.
They are about 5 km or 3 miles beneath
us.
That is
pretty darn deep.
Where do they get their energy from?
The Earth's core is at 10,000°
Fahrenheit, like the surface of the sun,
and it radiates this heat constantly
outwards.
This heat gets trapped in these rocks
that are at temperatures of 150°
to 400° C
or 300° to 750°
F. And the heat is not going anywhere.
And this heat is not going anywhere.
The beautiful part is we know how to get
to the heat.
Remember that 25,000-ft well I was
talking about?
Imagine applying the same technology
that we used to target oil and gas for
geothermal as well.
Same rig, same crews, same equipment,
same expertise, just a different target.
Now, you may be wondering what good is
that heat down there? How do I get it to
the surface and make use of it?
There are many ways to do this, but one
way is to drill two wells into the hot
rock.
You pump cold water down one,
it goes through the hot rock, heats up,
and comes back up as hot water or steam.
Once on surface, the hot water can be
used for district heating of schools,
hospitals, offices, universities, and so
on.
Or you can run the steam through a steam
turbine and generate carbon-free
electricity for the grid.
This isn't science fiction, friends.
It's already happening.
California's primary energy provider,
PG&E, has geothermal energy as part of
its sustainable energy program.
The Department of Energy has estimated
that 90 GW of electricity will power the
grid from geothermal by 2050.
Geothermal is having a moment here.
It has historically been plagued by rare
geologies and poor economics.
And then Fervo Energy, a startup from
our very own Stanford graduates, came
along that leveraged the latest and
greatest from oil and gas
to build an enhanced geothermal system.
This provided the unlock and has
expanded the resource base.
The time to capitalize on this
opportunity is now.
So, here is my call to action.
As we move into a future filled with
home robots, electric cars, flying cars
even,
we need all hands on deck
and all energy sources working together.
Oil and gas, geothermal, nuclear, solar,
wind, tidal, and so on.
This isn't about choosing winners, but
recognizing that the energy future is
all of the above and that geothermal can
play an important role.
Friends, for power around the clock,
look deep into the rock.
Expand your mental model from solar and
wind to solar, wind, and rock.
>> [snorts]
>> At the end of the day,
the most powerful energy is the energy
inside you.
The human ability to dream big,
change lives, change organizations, and
change the world.
Go chase that energy.
Be mindful of consumption
and tap into the potential of the heat
beneath your feet.
Rock on. Thank you, everyone.
>> [applause]
>> Oh.