GEOTHERMAL PROSPECTS: As Geothermal Energy Heats Up, 5 Next-Gen Projects Take Shape. “Unlike wind and solar power, which are intermittent, geothermal energy is base-load power—available 24/7, 365 days a year. And the price of geothermal energy is stable, unlike economically volatile coal and natural gas. . . . Unlike conventional geothermal power, which has been limited to areas with stores of hot groundwater, EGS power plants create their own geothermal reservoirs by pumping water to hot, dry rocks located tens of thousands of feet under the surface.”