Geothermal energy (EGS)

Enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS, borrow directly from oil-and-gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology, but apply it to hot rock formations like granite instead of oil-bearing shale, creating fractures that let water circulate, pick up heat, and generate steam-driven power. Because it doesn't depend on sunlight or wind, geothermal offers a form of always-on, sustainable power generation that's drawing serious interest from petroleum engineers looking at where their skills transfer next.

Guests on the show describe geothermal as a genuine growth area for people with an oil-and-gas background, since so much of the underlying skill set, directional drilling, fracturing design, reservoir modeling, carries over directly from one rock type to another rather than requiring an entirely new discipline.