Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal startup, has announced a major milestone in its quest to provide clean, reliable and flexible energy to the grid. The company has successfully completed a 30-day well test at its Project Red site in northern Nevada, demonstrating record power and flow rates for an enhanced geothermal system (EGS).
EGS is a technology that creates artificial fractures in hot rocks deep underground, allowing water to circulate and extract heat that can be converted into electricity. Unlike conventional geothermal plants, which rely on existing natural reservoirs of hot water or steam, EGS can expand the potential of geothermal energy to new locations and geographies.
Fervo says it is the first company to successfully drill a horizontal well pair for commercial geothermal production, achieving lateral lengths of 3,250 feet, reaching a temperature of 191°C, and proving controlled flow through rigorous tracer testing. The well test showed that the system can produce 3.5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power Google data centers and other infrastructure in Nevada.
Google is Fervo’s partner and customer for the project, which is expected to connect to the grid this year. The tech giant has signed an agreement with Fervo in 2021 to develop a “next-generation geothermal power project” as part of its goal to run all of its offices and data centers on carbon-free energy by 2030.
“Achieving our goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy will require new sources of firm, clean power to complement variable renewables like wind and solar,” Michael Terrell, Google’s senior director for energy and climate, said in a statement. “We partnered with Fervo in 2021 because we see significant potential for their geothermal technology to unlock a critical source of 24/7 carbon-free energy at scale, and we are thrilled to see Fervo reach this important technical milestone.”
Fervo’s CEO and co-founder Tim Latimer, a former oil and gas engineer, said the company is applying drilling technology from the fossil fuel industry to unlock the full potential of geothermal energy. He said the company’s results support the findings of the DOE Enhanced Geothermal Earthshot and show that geothermal energy could supply over 20% of U.S. power needs and complement wind and solar to reach a fully decarbonized grid.
“By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce 24/7 carbon-free energy resources in new geographies across the world. The incredible results we share today are the product of many years of dedicated work and commitment from Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google,” Latimer said.
Fervo is not only aiming to produce clean and constant power, but also flexible and responsive power. The company has shown that its wells can act as a giant underground battery, storing up energy for hours or even days and delivering it back over similar periods. This means the plants can ramp up or down their output as needed, depending on the demand and supply of electricity on the grid.
“We know that just generating and selling traditional geothermal is incredibly valuable to the grid,” Latimer said. “But as time goes on, our ability to be responsive, and ramp up and down and do energy storage, is going to increase in value even more.”
Fervo plans to replicate its success at another site in Utah, which could power 300,000 homes simultaneously if it achieves similar results and implements design upgrades to maximize output. The company also hopes to reduce costs and regulatory barriers for EGS deployment, making geothermal energy more accessible and affordable.
“Power systems modeling confirms that geothermal can be a critical player in a fully decarbonized grid. Fervo’s successful commercial pilot takes next-generation geothermal technology from the realm of models into the real world and starts us on a path to unlock geothermal’s full potential,” said Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor and leader of the Zero-carbon Energy systems Research and Optimization (ZERO) lab at Princeton University.
Relevant articles:
– ‘Breakthrough’ geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power, Yahoo News, July 18, 2023
– Fervo Energy Claims Geothermal Breakthrough with Nevada Pilot Project, Hart Energy, July 18, 2023
– Fervo Energy reports breakthrough in field-scale EGS project in Nevada, ThinkGeoEnergy, July 18, 2023
– This geothermal startup showed its wells can be used like a giant underground battery, MIT Technology Review, March 7, 2023