Will geothermal technicians be replaced by AI?
Updated
Geothermal technicians score 33 of 100 for AI exposure. 42% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 18% today and speed up another 40%.
- 18% AI can do it
- 40% AI helps
- 42% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Lower than 57% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 24 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 8 and leaves 13 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed. Logs and reports are text-heavy and easily drafted from records. | 80% AI can do it |
| Calculate heat loss and heat gain factors for residential properties to determine heating and cooling required by installed geothermal systems. Heat loss and gain load calculations are standard software tasks. | 65% AI can do it |
| Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields. Sensor and SCADA data logging is largely automated already. | 60% AI can do it |
| Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections. Spec comparison and equipment matching is well suited to AI lookup. | 50% AI helps |
| Design and lay out geothermal heat systems according to property characteristics, heating and cooling requirements, piping and equipment requirements, applicable regulations, or other factors. Design tools and AI draft layouts, but site judgment and sign-off remain. | 50% AI helps |
| Determine the type of geothermal loop system most suitable to a specific property and its heating and cooling needs. AI can compare loop options against site data, technician decides. | 50% AI helps |
| Determine whether emergency or auxiliary systems will be needed to keep properties heated or cooled in extreme weather conditions. Weather and load data analysis helps, but the decision stays with the technician. | 45% AI helps |
| Monitor and adjust operations of geothermal power plant equipment or systems. AI can flag anomalies from plant data, but operators make live adjustments. | 40% AI helps |
| Adjust power production systems to meet load and distribution demands. Dispatch software assists load matching, but live control needs a person. | 35% AI helps |
| Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls. AI helps diagnose faults from data, but repairs are hands-on. | 25% AI helps |
Show the other 14 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Test water sources for factors, such as flow volume and contaminant presence. Sampling is physical, though AI can help interpret lab results. | 20% AI helps |
| Perform pre- and post-installation pressure, flow, and related tests of vertical and horizontal geothermal loop piping. Pressure and flow tests need physical gauges and on-site work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Maintain electrical switchgear, process controls, transmitters, gauges, and control equipment in accordance with geothermal plant procedures. Hands-on maintenance of switchgear and electrical equipment on site. | 15% Needs a person |
| Maintain, calibrate, or repair plant instrumentation, control, and electronic devices in geothermal plants. Calibrating and repairing instruments requires physical hands-on work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Install and maintain geothermal system instrumentation or controls. Installing controls and instrumentation is physical field work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Prepare newly installed geothermal heat systems for operation by flushing, purging, or other actions. Flushing and purging new systems is physical work on site. | 15% Needs a person |
| Integrate hot water heater systems with geothermal heat exchange systems. Physically connecting water heaters and piping needs on-site skill. | 12% Needs a person |
| Install and maintain geothermal plant electrical protection equipment. Installing protection equipment in live plant electrical systems is hands-on. | 10% Needs a person |
| Install, maintain, or repair ground or water source-coupled heat pumps to heat and cool residential or commercial building air or water. Installing and repairing heat pumps requires physical hands-on work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Apply coatings or operate systems to mitigate corrosion of geothermal plant equipment or structures. Applying coatings and operating corrosion systems is hands-on work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Weld piping, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping, using techniques such as butt, socket, side-wall, and electro-fusion welding. Fusion welding of HDPE pipe is a hands-on craft skill. | 5% Needs a person |
| Dig trenches for system piping to appropriate depths and lay piping in trenches. Digging trenches and laying pipe is heavy physical labor. | 3% Needs a person |
| Backfill piping trenches to protect pipes from damage. Backfilling trenches is physical labor with no AI substitute. | 3% Needs a person |
| Operate equipment, such as excavators, backhoes, rock hammers, trench compactors, pavement saws, grout mixers or pumps, geothermal loop reels, and coil tubing units (CTU). Operating excavators and heavy machinery requires physical presence. | 2% Needs a person |
How geothermal technicians compare
All occupations (923)
Installation, maintenance and repair (50)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $49,230 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 176,300 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.6% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Fusion weld HDPE loop pipe with electro-fusion equipment
- Troubleshoot and repair ground source heat pumps on site
- Design loop layouts in ClimateMaster GeoDesigner and AutoCAD
- Monitor plant operations through the Distributed control system DCS
- Maintain repair and maintenance records in SAP software
- Sign off site-specific system designs before installation
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about geothermal technicians and AI
Will AI replace geothermal technicians?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly preparing logs and reports and calculating heat loss and heat gain loads. Digging, welding, backfilling and heat pump repair stay with people because they need hands-on physical work on site.
Which geothermal technician tasks is AI taking over?
Documentation leads, with an exposure score of 80, because logs and reports are text drawn from records. Heat loss and heat gain load calculations score 65 and run as standard software. Sensor and SCADA data logging at plants scores 60 because it is largely automated already.
Which geothermal technician tasks stay human?
Operating excavators, digging trenches and backfilling pipe score 2 to 3 on exposure because they need a person on site moving heavy equipment. Fusion welding HDPE pipe scores 5, and heat pump installation and repair scores 8, because both are hands-on craft work in the field.
How can geothermal technicians stay valuable?
Build depth in fusion welding and heat pump repair, since those tasks stay with people. Learn ClimateMaster GeoDesigner and AutoCAD so you can check AI-drafted loop layouts before sign-off. Learn the Distributed control system DCS so you can read plant alarms and act on them quickly.
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