The energy grid needs reliable, carbon-free power around the clock and geothermal might be the most underestimated solution on the table. A century of oil and gas expertise is now being repurposed to unlock heat sitting beneath our feet almost anywhere on Earth, and in doing so, it's also unlocking a new form of long-duration energy storage that requires no mountain, no reservoir, and no battery chemistry.
In this episode, host Alejandro Diego sits down with Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geo Systems. Together they explore how Sage is moving beyond the geological constraints of conventional geothermal, what it takes to engineer a reservoir from scratch, how their underground pressure storage system works like an inverted pumped hydro plant, and why companies like Meta and the US Department of Defense are already signing on.
You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Alejandro De Diego - US Market Analyst
Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets. Want all the latest power market news? Sign up for our free Weekly Dispatch newsletter:
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Chapters:
00:00 Next-gen geothermal intro
01:49 Cindy Taff background
04:51 Geothermal opportunity
07:19 Conventional geothermal limits
08:39 How geothermal works
10:38 Geothermal grid baseload
11:44 US heat resource map
13:13 Oil and gas drilling tech
16:50 Discovering underground storage
17:21 Earth Store technology
18:07 Storage capacity explained
19:35 Fast dispatch no degradation
21:42 Pelton turbine explained
23:47 Why viable now
25:30 Energy storage business model
27:12 Target customers
28:27 Development obstacles
29:52 Permitting process
31:36 Meta 150MW deal
33:41 5.5 terawatt potential
36:17 Grid transformation impact
37:49 What drives Cindy
39:16 Direct heating use case
40:30 Sage 2035 milestones
42:20 Energy expansion contrarian view
