Fusion vs Enhanced Geothermal
Enhanced geothermal drills deep to reach heat anywhere, but faces geology and seismicity limits. Fusion delivers firm clean power without drilling or induced-seismicity risk.
- EGS
- Drills deep to engineer heat reservoirs
- Both
- Firm, clean, always-on
- EGS limits
- Depth, cost, induced-seismicity concern
- Fusion
- No drilling; siteable anywhere
Enhanced (or engineered) geothermal systems (EGS) extend geothermal beyond naturally hot regions by drilling deep and fracturing rock to create heat reservoirs. It's a promising firm clean resource — and, like fusion, always-on. The comparison is instructive.
| Dimension | Fusion / Enhanced geothermal |
|---|---|
| Firmness | Firm, dispatchable / firm baseload |
| Siting | Flexible, no drilling / depends on deep drilling |
| Key risk | Physics/engineering validation / induced seismicity, drilling cost |
EGS is advancing and valuable, but it faces geological uncertainty, deep-drilling costs, and induced-seismicity concerns that constrain where it can go. Fusion offers a similar firm clean profile without drilling — siteable near the load. Both are worth pursuing; they're complementary firm clean options. See fusion vs geothermal.