The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in Asia

The document explores the potential of superhot rock energy in Asia, highlighting its capacity to provide massive amounts of carbon-free electricity and its potential to replace fossil fuels while requiring minimal land use.

• Preliminary modeling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that superhot rock energy potential exists across approximately 30% of Asia's land area, which is more than 12.7 million square kilometers, at depths below 12.5 km.
• The scale of Asia's superhot rock resources is vast; just 1% of the resource could provide 26.8 terawatts of energy capacity and generate nearly 223,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, which is 3.3 times the global electric capacity of 2021.
• Superhot rock energy is characterized by high energy density and low land requirements, estimated at 12 km² per 1 GW of energy, significantly lower than natural gas (160 km²), solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), and biomass (14,000 km²).
• While initial costs for first-of-a-kind projects will be higher, electricity from mature 'Nth-of-a-kind' superhot rock resources is estimated to be globally competitive, with potential prices as low as $25-40 (USD) per MWh.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2024). The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in Asia. https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/asia/

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in Asia. 2024. https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/asia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in Asia |date=21 March 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/asia/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2024potential, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in Asia}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/asia/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }