This fossil-fuel exec jumped to geothermal. He tells us why

Residential geothermal company Dandelion Energy yesterday announced that it’s hired a new vice president of drillings whose name is Jeremy Smith. What’s unique about Smith? The exec comes from a fossil-fuel background.

From fossil fuels to geothermal

Smith brings more than 18 years of experience in the natural gas and oil industries to Dandelion’s geothermal drilling operations. Before joining Dandelion, Smith was the consulting drilling manager for Shale Petroleum Ltd. in Alberta, Canada. Prior to that, he worked in drilling operations leadership positions with various natural gas and oil extraction companies.

Electrek asked Smith why he chose to leave the fossil fuels and join the green energy sector. He replied:

Moving to geothermal and away from fossil fuels was all about a better opportunity for myself and my family. There is no question that there is more economic opportunity in green energy than oil and gas. Fossil fuel extraction is a shrinking industry that often requires people to move and work in places on the edge. With Dandelion, I’m joining a fast-growing company that allows me to build a future.

Electrek’s Take

Electrek recently had a Q&A with Dandelion Energy founder Kathy Hannun about why home geothermal systems are affordable, convenient, and energy-efficient, which you can read here. Dandelion was spun out of Alphabet’s X (formerly called Google[x]) in May 2017, and it’s growing like crazy.

The whole world is rapidly transitioning to green energy, and the sector will create thousands of good jobs and help the fight against climate change. Jeremy Smith just reiterated that — the operative word he used being “opportunity” — and his transferrable drilling experience will be used for good. He’s a great example of how fossil-fuel professionals can move into a cleaner career — and again, in Smith’s words, “build a future.”

In August, we reported that green energy leads new US generating capacity in 2020. Post-election, the next US administration needs to embrace green energy fully — and that includes the abandonment of fracking.

To learn more about whether Dandelion Energy would work for you, you can click my referral link here.