Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colorado

The document argues that superhot rock geothermal is a viable, energy-dense, and zero-emission power source that could significantly contribute to Colorado's 100% renewable energy goal by 2040. It estimates that just 1% of Colorado's superhot rock resource could provide 58 GW of energy capacity, far exceeding the state's 2023 electricity consumption of 55,566 GWh. The report emphasizes that this technology requires significantly less land than solar, wind, or biomass and offers a transition pathway for the state's oil and gas workforce.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that Colorado possesses substantial superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 58 GW of energy capacity and generate over 486,000 GWh of electricity, which is 9 times the state's 2023 electricity consumption.
• Superhot rock geothermal is characterized as an energy-dense resource with a very low land footprint. Producing 1 GW of this energy is estimated to require approximately 12 sq mi of land, which is significantly lower than the requirements for natural gas (160 sq mi), solar (180 sq mi), offshore wind (520 sq mi), and biomass (14,000 sq mi).

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colorado. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22150147/Colorado-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colorado. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22150147/Colorado-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colorado |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22150147/Colorado-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendsuperhot, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colorado}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22150147/Colorado-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }