Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Geothermal seems to have found new favour under Donald Trump's presidency, but can it ever live up to its potential? Will the oil and gas industry reinvent itself before becoming obsolete? And how might geothermal energy change the global energy landscape?
This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington talks to Jamie Beard, founder of Project InnerSpace, about why geothermal energy has never lived up to its hype, and whether it has the potential do so. Currently generating less than 1% of global energy, Beard believes that geothermal could become a game-changing technology that can leverage existing drilling expertise from the oil and gas sector to provide 24/7 energy.
Beard breaks down the technical and economic challenges facing geothermal energy, exploring its potential to provide stable, clean power and heat across different global regions. From the United States to India, she outlines how next-generation geothermal technologies could offer a more consistent renewable energy solution.
This conversation was recorded live at Geothermal House, as part of San Francisco Climate week.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Discover More:
• The Sierra Leone Special: youtu.be/z-5QjSfy2SM
• Project InnerSpace: projectinnerspace.org
• Brony’s episode with Cindy Taff of Sage Geothermal: youtube.com/watch?v=n3I2fn9_atE
• The Department of Energy’s Next-Generation Geothermal Power Commercial Liftoff: liftoff.energy.gov/next-generation-geothermal-power
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up on Cleaning Up
00:46 - Introduction
01:58 - Who is Jamie Beard?
04:30 - From Law to Geothermal
09:00 - Does Oil & Gas Like Geothermal?
11:15 - What is Advanced Geothermal?
15:05 - Why Geothermal Hasn’t Lived Up To Its Potential
18:55 - Will Oil & Gas Actually Go Into Geothermal?
25:30 - Solar Is Eating Everyone’s Lunch
28:20 - Leadership Circle
30:00 - Is the US supportive of Geothermal?
32:00 - China’s & Geothermal
36:00 - Geothermal For Heating
39:00 - Project InnerSpace
41:51 - Outro
Geothermal seems to have found new favour under Donald Trump's presidency, but can it ever live up to its potential? Will the oil and gas industry reinvent itself before becoming obsolete? And how might geothermal energy change the global energy landscape?
This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington talks to Jamie Beard, founder of Project InnerSpace, about why geothermal energy has never lived up to its hype, and whether it has the potential do so. Currently generating less than 1% of global energy, Beard believes that geothermal could become a game-changing technology that can leverage existing drilling expertise from the oil and gas sector to provide 24/7 energy.
Beard breaks down the technical and economic challenges facing geothermal energy, exploring its potential to provide stable, clean power and heat across different global regions. From the United States to India, she outlines how next-generation geothermal technologies could offer a more consistent renewable energy solution.
This conversation was recorded live at Geothermal House, as part of San Francisco Climate week.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Discover More:
• The Sierra Leone Special: youtu.be/z-5QjSfy2SM
• Project InnerSpace: projectinnerspace.org
• Brony’s episode with Cindy Taff of Sage Geothermal: youtube.com/watch?v=n3I2fn9_atE
• The Department of Energy’s Next-Generation Geothermal Power Commercial Liftoff: liftoff.energy.gov/next-generation-geothermal-power
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up on Cleaning Up
00:46 - Introduction
01:58 - Who is Jamie Beard?
04:30 - From Law to Geothermal
09:00 - Does Oil & Gas Like Geothermal?
11:15 - What is Advanced Geothermal?
15:05 - Why Geothermal Hasn’t Lived Up To Its Potential
18:55 - Will Oil & Gas Actually Go Into Geothermal?
25:30 - Solar Is Eating Everyone’s Lunch
28:20 - Leadership Circle
30:00 - Is the US supportive of Geothermal?
32:00 - China’s & Geothermal
36:00 - Geothermal For Heating
39:00 - Project InnerSpace
41:51 - Outro
