A geothermal energy boom is emerging in the American West, led by Fervo Energy, a Google-backed startup pioneering advanced drilling technologies to unlock deep, always-hot rock as a major clean-power source. From its Utah drilling site, Fervo is preparing to deliver electricity under the largest geothermal contract in US history and says its reserves could one day generate over 50 gigawatts, according to The Economist. New techniques—enhanced geothermal systems, closed-loop systems, and future “superhot” drilling—are rapidly reducing costs and expanding where geothermal can work. These innovations could transform geothermal from today’s niche source into a global clean-energy pillar, with researchers projecting massive investment and output comparable to or exceeding US nuclear power by 2050. They write:
The future of clean energy is unfolding on a desert plateau about four hours north-east of Las Vegas. Dotted around the spectacular sands near Milford, Utah, are nearly two dozen wells, each one reaching deep into the Earth where the rocks are permanently hot.
Standing atop one of the electrified rigs responsible for digging those wells, Jack Norbeck has to shout to make himself heard over the fierce winds. “Ten rigs that are identical to the one that you see sitting here in front of us,” he says, “could produce a gigawatt of new output per year.”
That is as much as a typical nuclear reactor, enough to power a million homes. […]
It is the first shot in an imminent geothermal revolution. Today, less than 1% of global (and American) energy comes from geothermal. But researchers at Princeton University predict that technical innovations mean widely available geothermal power could produce nearly triple the current output of the country’s nuclear power plants (which supply roughly 20% of America’s electricity at present) by 2050. The International Energy Agency envisions a $1trn global investment boom by 2035. […]
Professor Horne notes that 330°C is a bit short of supercritical but is nevertheless very hot and very promising. Given recent progress he reckons it may only take a few more years for Mazama to get superhot geothermal technology to where Fervo was with EGS in 2023: “A lot has changed the past two years,” he says. “And things are moving fast.”
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