Superhot Rock Geothermal in Greenland

The document highlights the potential of superhot rock geothermal energy as a scalable, land-efficient, and reliable renewable energy source, specifically noting that 1% of Greenland's resources could provide 23 GW of energy capacity.

• Preliminary modeling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that Greenland possesses significant superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of these resources could provide 23 GW of energy capacity and generate over 191,226 GWh of electricity, which is equivalent to 112 million barrels of oil.
• Superhot rock geothermal is described as a viable global energy source because it reaches kilometres deeper than traditional geothermal systems and does not require existing underground water sources.
• The technology is estimated to be highly energy-dense with low land requirements; producing 1 GW of superhot rock geothermal requires approximately 12 km² of land, which is significantly less than natural gas (160 km²), solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), and biomass (14,000 km²).
• As a source of clean firm power available 24/7, superhot rock geothermal can reduce the need for excess generation, transmission capacity, and backup generation. The document cites a study in California showing that clean firm power could reduce new transmission requirements by one-third.

APA

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

Chicago

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

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Greenland |url=https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Greenland-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 Greenland}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Greenland-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }