In Other News · United States · Technology

Source: Axios

Geothermal — power drawn from the Earth's natural heat — is pulling off something remarkable in today's hyper-polarized America: Winning fans across the political spectrum.Why it matters: The bipartisan appeal, combined with surging electricity demand from AI, is helping fuel investment in a niche energy source yet to prove it can compete at scale.Driving the news: Geothermal received unusually extensive attention in a bipartisan Senate bill introduced late last month to expedite infrastructure permitting.The House this summer passed a package containing several of the same geothermal provisions, including measures sponsored by lawmakers as ideologically distant as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Mike Kennedy (R-Utah).The rising cachet of geothermal is the product of three trends converging:Technologies adapted from the oil and gas industry, including fracking, are making it possible to tap heat in more places than just far-flung hot springs and volcanoes.Tech companies, on the hunt for reliable electricity, are willing to pay a premium for next-generation geothermal to power data centers.Investment is surging as companies race to scale a renewable energy source that can generate power around the clock.Catch up quick: The geothermal-specific provisions in the Senate bill go further than the broader permitting reforms offered to other renewable energy...