I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh—a young nation marked by resilience, yet scarred by wars, political upheavals, and the constant struggle against poverty. My childhood memories were painted in the dim light of kerosene lamps. I can still remember many mothers in Africa carrying their children on their backs as they walk long distances to gather firewood or charcoal, determined to provide for them. I can see myself and my sister bent over our homework, eyes straining under flickering lamps, silently wishing for the luxury of steady electricity. Energy poverty wasn’t just statistics—it was our life. It shaped my sense of resilience, but it also sparked a lifelong question: why should a lack of light dim any child’s dreams?

My father’s United Nations assignments took me to Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Those experiences opened my eyes to the transformative power of access to energy on entire communities. In Kenya, I saw villages once bound to kerosene lamps and smoky kitchens suddenly alive with reliable electricity. Schools could run evening classes, women had time for businesses, and small farms gained new productivity. With nearly half of Kenya’s electricity now generated from geothermal energy, it became clear to me: geothermal is not just about power plants—it is about dignity, freedom, and opportunity.

When I arrived in the United States on a scholarship to Texas A&M University in 1998, I believed I was entering the world’s most advanced energy economy. But driving through Texas, I encountered another truth. Places like Presidio, Texas, stood as reminders that energy poverty doesn’t only belong to developing nations. Despite being part of the richest country in the world, Presidio’s people live with limited jobs, unreliable electricity, and inadequate healthcare. Families often move away just to survive. It struck me deeply—energy poverty wears different faces, but the suffering is the same.

Despite progress in fossil fuel and nuclear energy, Bangladesh’s geothermal promise remains untapped. Regions like Singra–Kuchma and Barapukuria show resource potential exceeding 5 GW, yet a lack of policy frameworks and investment keeps this resource buried. Meanwhile, millions still rely on biomass fuels, which carry all the associated health and environmental consequences. I see the same potential in Bangladesh that I saw in Kenya decades ago—a chance to ignite development through geothermal energy, if only the right roadmap is laid out.

I spent years working in the oil and gas industry. It provided me with financial stability, global travel opportunities, and professional prestige. Yet each layoff—twice in my career—reminded me of the volatility and emptiness of fossil fuels. Oil and gas showed me wealth, but it didn’t feed my soul. Geothermal, however, felt different. It demanded patience, persistence, and perseverance—values I carried from my childhood. But it also promised something more: the power to leave behind a lasting legacy of light and hope.

Kenya: With nearly 1,000 MW of installed capacity, geothermal now accounts for 45–47% of the country's electricity generation. It lowered costs, stabilized the grid, and lifted millions from the shadows of energy poverty. Presidio, Texas: A 110 MW geothermal project is in motion. With the right planning, it can bring jobs, stabilize the electricity supply, and revitalize a struggling community. Bangladesh: With an estimated potential of more than 5 GW, it stands where Kenya once was. Exploration, donor-backed pilots, and policy reforms could spark a new era of energy.

My story is not just about professional shifts—it is about a lifelong pursuit to end energy poverty. From Bangladesh’s flickering lamps to Kenya’s bright classrooms, from Presidio’s empty hospitals to the promise of sustainable geothermal baseload, I have seen both the shadows and the light. For me, geothermal is not just energy. It is freedom from cycles of poverty, resilience in the face of climate change, and hope for communities too often left behind. Kenya has proven what is possible. Presidio can show it is possible here in America. Bangladesh can begin its journey. As for me, I carry the same commitment that lit my path from Dhaka to Texas: to never give up on geothermal’s promise—to light the way for millions still waiting in the dark.

Geothermal energy has the potential to play a major role in the United States’ clean-energy transition by providing reliable, low-carbon heating, cooling, and power. Yet despite its technical strengths, geothermal deployment remains limited across much of the country. This study shows that social acceptance—how people perceive, evaluate, and feel about geothermal technologies—is now a decisive factor shaping geothermal’s real-world viability.

Based on a national survey of more than 6,000 U.S. residents, including detailed analysis across five regions and 14 geothermal-relevant states, the study compares public acceptance of geoexchange, hydrothermal, and next-generation geothermal systems. Acceptance is measured as a combination of favorability, comfort, and general support, and analyzed alongside key social and psychological drivers.

The results reveal a consistent national pattern: geothermal enjoys moderate and broadly positive acceptance across the U.S., even though public familiarity remains relatively low. Across nearly all regions and states, perceived benefits—such as reliability, affordability, and long-term value—are the strongest and most consistent drivers of acceptance. Fairness, familiarity, social responsibility, and social norms play important secondary roles, shaping how acceptance forms in different contexts.

Importantly, perceived risk does not emerge as a dominant barrier in general attitudinal evaluations, suggesting that public concern is less about fear and more about whether geothermal is seen as beneficial, fair, and socially valuable. Acceptance of next-generation geothermal, in particular, is shaped more by perceptions of long-term community benefit and societal contribution than by technical risk.

Overall, the findings indicate that geothermal’s challenge is not public opposition, but visibility, clarity, and alignment with local priorities. When geothermal is understood and framed around tangible benefits and fairness, public support is strong—providing a solid foundation for responsible scale-up.

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