Geothermal energy is considered a renewable, clean, and environmentally friendly energy
source. In addition, it is efficient and relatively cost effective. Therefore, the
demand for the development and utilization of geothermal resources is increasing annually.
To understand the current status and developments within the context of geothermal
research, quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out by combining two
visualization software applications, namely, VOSviewer and CiteSpace; this analysis
also entailed the secondary development of R language. The results showed that the
USA, China, and Germany are the main contributors to geothermal research. We also
found that geothermal research hot spots encompass five geothermal research clusters,
such as renewable energy utilization, heat flow, numerical simulation, geochemistry,
and groundwater. In addition, the strategic diagram and thematic structure revealed
how geothermal research has evolved over time. Finally, the timeline view and burst
term highlight the possible frontiers of geothermal power generation, enhanced geothermal
systems, and ecological environment protection. These insights will provide scholars
and policymakers with a systematic understanding of the current research and directions
for future studies.
