Startup achieves breakthrough of next-generation geothermal power generation technology ``enhanced geothermal system'', plans to supply power to Google's data center

Fervo Energy , a geothermal power generation startup based in Houston, Texas, USA, succeeded in a large-scale demonstration of next-generation geothermal power generation technology called ' Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) '. Fervo Energy will start supplying power to Google's data centers and infrastructure in 2023, following the demonstration that it can operate an enhanced geothermal system on a commercial scale.

Fervo Energy Announces Technology Breakthrough in Next-Generation Geothermal - Fervo Energy
https://fervoenergy.com/fervo-energy-announces-technology-breakthrough-in-next-generation-geothermal/

Fervo Energy Says it Has Achieved Geothermal Energy Tech Breakthrough - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-18/fervo-energy-says-it-has-achieved-geothermal-energy-tech-breakthrough?sref=cJ0KKxwd#xj4y7vzkg

1/Today I am thrilled to announce, after years of work, our team @fervoenergy has developed a major advancement in geothermal, proven it at the field scale, and is set to deliver commercial next-gen geothermal decades ahead of schedule. THREAD. https://t.co/5TY16HU19F

— Tim Latimer (@TimMLatimer) July 18, 2023

Geothermal is known as a carbon-free energy source like wind power and solar power, but it is difficult to obtain enough geothermal energy for power generation in areas where volcanic activity is not active. The enhanced geothermal system, which was devised to solve the problem of such geothermal power generation, is a mechanism that extracts geothermal heat by injecting water etc. into a hole dug deep underground.

You can get a rough idea of what an enhanced geothermal system looks like by looking at the diagram below from Fervo Energy CEO Tim Latimer on Twitter. Since geothermal heat is extracted using holes dug from the surface of the earth, it is possible to generate electricity using geothermal heat even in areas where geothermal heat due to volcanic activity does not reach the surface.

4/With dramatically lower drilling costs, it would now be possible to drill down to depth and then drill horizontally for enhanced geothermal, significantly increasing the productivity of the resource, and enabling development anywhere.pic.twitter.com/jgd2tXibqg

— Tim Latimer (@TimMLatimer) July 18, 2023

Experiments on the enhanced geothermal system began in the 1970s, but due to the difficulty of excavation and cost issues, experiments and research were on the decline around the end of the 20th century. However, in the United States, drilling technology has progressed significantly with the 21st century shale gas revolution , and drilling costs have fallen significantly, making it possible to ``horizontal drilling deep underground'', which was once difficult. That's right. So, Mr. Latimer, who was working as a drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry at the time, thought, ``Isn't modern drilling technology that has greatly advanced could be used for enhanced geothermal systems?''

3/The US had gotten dramatically better at drilling since the shale revolution began, and I knew that drilling costs were the major barrier to geothermal deployment. Innovations like the PDC drilling bit, like I wrote about here, had changed the game. https: //t.co/H850Uumpp1

— Tim Latimer (@TimMLatimer) July 18, 2023

Although it was difficult to find anyone who agreed with Mr. Latimer's opinion, he went on to graduate school and worked on activities such as writing a paper jointly with geothermal power researchers, and launched Fervo Energy in 2017. rice field. Fervo Energy's plan to put an enhanced geothermal system into practical use was criticized, but it was able to receive support from understanding customers, philanthropists and venture capitalists. In 2018, it was also reported that it received support from the energy problem fund ' Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) ' led by Bill Gates.

The investment destination list of the 110 billion yen fund led by Bill Gates turned out, where was it selected as 'innovative venture company'? -GIGAZINE

And on July 18, 2023, Fervo Energy conducted a full-scale test for 30 days in an experimental area called `` Project Red '' in northern Nevada, and succeeded in generating 3.5 MW (megawatts) of electricity. . Since 1 MW can supply power to 750 households, the power generated by Project Red can be said to be of commercial scale. 'By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we will be able to produce carbon-free energy resources 24/7 in areas of the world that have never been geothermal before,' Latimer said in a statement. has been proven,” he said.

Fervo Energy has signed an inter-company contract with Google to develop a next-generation geothermal power generation system in 2021, and this breakthrough was also supported by Google. Project Red will be connected to the grid sometime in 2023 and will power Google data centers and infrastructure throughout Nevada.

Going forward, Fervo Energy will also demonstrate a power generation area under construction in southwestern Utah, and if power output is maximized as expected, the Utah site is expected to provide approximately 400 MW by 2028. I'm here.