Critical Energy, founded by ex-SpaceX engineer Spencer Jackson, has secured $22 million in seed funding to mass-produce modular geothermal turbines in factories rather than building them on-site.
This funding comes at a time when AI infrastructure is driving electricity demand to new highs, highlighting a key weakness in clean energy: solar and wind can’t provide power around the clock.
Fossil fuels still accounted for 82% of U.S. energy use in 2023. Critical Energy says this gap will persist unless we have reliable, always-on clean power that can be deployed in weeks rather than years.
The AI boom faces a power challenge. Data centers need constant electricity, but solar and wind, which make up over 90% of new global power capacity, can’t always deliver. Fossil fuels still supplied 82% of U.S. energy in 2023, and that number isn’t dropping quickly.
Critical Energy believes the problem is that building geothermal power plants takes years and is very expensive. The company just raised $22 million to change this.
