'Breakthrough' geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power | Engadget
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An energy company called Fervo says it has achieved a breakthrough in geothermal technology.

‘Breakthrough’ geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power | Fervo Energy’s Nevada site is slated to power Google data centers.::An energy company called Fervo says it has achieved a breakthrough in geothermal technology.

  • Hotdogman@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    1 year ago

    We’re gonna need this technology for our cities underground once they release the ai and it takes over the surface. We should probably cover the sky so the ai doesn’t use solar power.

  • TurboDiesel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    1 year ago

    I may be reading this wrong, but am I the only one for whom this sounds a lot like fracking, minus the gas extraction? I’d be curious to see the knock-on effects in the surrounding area.

    Hopefully I’m wrong, because I feel like this could be a pretty big leap for energy generation.

    • crypticthree@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      1 year ago

      If this proves to be a viable alternative energy source, it will employ most of the extant petro-industry. This is a win for the status quo economically speaking

  • Hotzilla@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    21·
    1 year ago

    I am bit sceptical, but I hope it works. Company that I work is part of project that drills geothermal to 7km deep. This tech is challenging in general.

    300 000 homes sounds to me near impossible. Also article talks 3,6MW, but doesn’t specify is it MWt or MWe. I assume it is heat, which to converted in turbine to electricity is less than 1.5MW electricity. Also talking about power (MW), but not energy (MWh) is bit strange, and to me sounds that it is just peak what they got.

    Edit: the actual paper talks about peak power: https://eartharxiv.org/repository/object/5704/download/11142/