Six bold bets on the future of US clean power
XLU•Rising US electricity demand is drawing interest to six emerging sources of reliable, low-carbon power, including geothermal, small modular reactors, canal-top solar and fusion. Projects range from Fervo Energy’s 396-megawatt geothermal supply for Google to Helion Energy’s planned 50-megawatt fusion plant, though costs, construction and commercial performance remain uncertain.
1. Geothermal and small reactors
Fervo Energy’s Cape Station in Utah is the first greenfield enhanced geothermal plant to reach commercial operation. It is set to supply Google with 396 megawatts, with an option to increase that to 600 megawatts by 2030; questions remain over drilling costs and reliable output. TVA’s Clinch River site in Tennessee has received the first US construction permit for a commercial small modular reactor, testing whether factory-built components can address nuclear construction delays and cost overruns.
2. Solar and coal conversions
The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona built the first US solar-over-canal project, which generates power while slowing water evaporation, although deployment costs may be higher than for conventional solar. TerraPower’s Natrium reactor is being built beside a former coal plant in Wyoming and could use existing grid connections. Its sodium-cooled design combines nuclear generation with molten-salt storage, and completion is slated for 2030.
3. Salt reactors and fusion
Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 reactor in Tennessee has Google lined up as a customer, but it needs scarce high-assay, low-enriched uranium. Helion Energy is building its planned 50-megawatt Orion fusion plant in Washington and aims to convert energy directly into electricity; it has pushed its initial delivery timeline from 2028 to potentially 2030 or later. No company has demonstrated a commercial fusion plant that generates more electricity than it consumes.
