Revolutionary approach brings us closer to renewable energy and Google has already implemented it
Project Red, a geothermal energy initiative was started by a company called Fervo, a startup committed to meeting the demand of increased reliability, reducing costs, and meeting clean energy mandates. Google invested in the company two years ago and it looks like that faith is paying off. In 2021, Fervo and Google signed the first of its kind, corporate agreement to develop next-generation geothermal power. The project scope is to provide Google’s Cloud region located in Las Vegas a carbon-free, constantly running resource to reduce the search mogul’s reliance on fossil fuels. A noble quest indeed.
Project red produces between 2 and 3 megawatts of power, enough energy to power a few thousand homes-a small section of the grid. However, it was a huge step towards a revolutionary geothermal process. Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years for bathing, heating buildings and other direct uses. It is currently in use in more than 20 countries around the world with the US producing the most. According to the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US produced about 17 billion kilowatt-hours of geothermal energy in 2022. This is the equivalent of .4% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation.
What makes the processes Fervo employs different, is the fact that they utilize horizontal drilling, reducing the surface footprint and allowing for multiple wells to be tapped at a single location. In addition to the horizontal drilling techniques, Fervo also installs fiber optic cabling into the geothermal wells. This allows them to gather and analyze real-time data on flow, temperature, and overall performance of the well. In-house data analytics algorithms drive decisions such as optimal placement and flow distribution.
Fervo released the results of a 37 day crossflow production test, performed in April-May 2023. The test run utilized lateral lengths of 3,250 feet, achieving flow rates of 63 liters a second and reaching temperatures of 336 °F and peak power production of 3.5 MW electric power equivalent. With the successful completion of this test run Fervo, has validated this process for similar rock lithologies, (a mixed metasedimentary and igneous formation, made of phyllite, quartzite, diorite, and granodiorite) which is characteristic of the most promising geothermal locales in the western US.
Google’s ambitious goal of operating their data centers and office campuses utilizing 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030 sets us all on a path to renewable energy resources. The partnership is a great example of what can be achieved when boundaries are pushed and innovation is truly encouraged.
Here’s to a greener future!