Geothermal Technicians
Perform technical activities at power plants or individual installations necessary for the generation of power from geothermal energy sources. Monitor and control operating activities at geothermal power generation facilities and perform maintenance and repairs as necessary. Install, test, and maintain residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps.
$49,230 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 32%
- 0%
- 68%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 19%. Today's estimate: 23%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 24 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor and adjust operations of geothermal power plant equipment or systems.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Install, maintain, or repair ground or water source-coupled heat pumps to heat and cool residential or commercial building air or water.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 8% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install and maintain geothermal system instrumentation or controls.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain electrical switchgear, process controls, transmitters, gauges, and control equipment in accordance with geothermal plant procedures.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare newly installed geothermal heat systems for operation by flushing, purging, or other actions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 5 h1.7 h to 7.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Design and lay out geothermal heat systems according to property characteristics, heating and cooling requirements, piping and equipment requirements, applicable regulations, or other factors.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.5 work days | 10%Half by May 2027 | |
| Integrate hot water heater systems with geothermal heat exchange systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install and maintain geothermal plant electrical protection equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Adjust power production systems to meet load and distribution demands.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.