Thanks, Duarte & Francisco, for sharing Tom Ough's post on advanced geothermal approaches.
While Tom's writing focused on some of the wilder, more speculative possibilities, he does also briefly discuss the nearer-term, fracking-based methods that the US DoE is helping fund and Shell is exploring. As such, I was surprised that he didn't come across, or if he did, choose not to mention, the fracking-based, enhanced geothermal approach that Fervo Energy has taken.
Their work is producing electricity today, and they've attracted some highly credible partners, including Devon Energy and Google:
Aron, thanks for reading my piece (especially considering its length!). I’m well aware of Fervo, and although I wrote the first drafts of this essay before their most high-profile successful test, the final draft carried a reference to them – which seems not to have made the final cut. More’s the pity. (Didn’t help that they don’t respond to interview requests.) I’m most interested in paradigm-busting moonshots, but of course I’m for further progress on EGS, and that Fervo overcomes the problem of long-term thermal drawdown. (As it happens, I’m currently working on a report into FORGE.)
Commiserating on editing woes, including the one that resulted in eliding your mention of Fervo in the final draft submission. And very much looking forward to reading your future writings on this topic!
Thank you! (And in case I’ve given the opposite impression, I have only good things to say about my Works in Progress editors)
Thanks, Duarte & Francisco, for sharing Tom Ough's post on advanced geothermal approaches.
While Tom's writing focused on some of the wilder, more speculative possibilities, he does also briefly discuss the nearer-term, fracking-based methods that the US DoE is helping fund and Shell is exploring. As such, I was surprised that he didn't come across, or if he did, choose not to mention, the fracking-based, enhanced geothermal approach that Fervo Energy has taken.
Their work is producing electricity today, and they've attracted some highly credible partners, including Devon Energy and Google:
https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/google-fervo-geothermal-energy-partnership/
Aron, thanks for reading my piece (especially considering its length!). I’m well aware of Fervo, and although I wrote the first drafts of this essay before their most high-profile successful test, the final draft carried a reference to them – which seems not to have made the final cut. More’s the pity. (Didn’t help that they don’t respond to interview requests.) I’m most interested in paradigm-busting moonshots, but of course I’m for further progress on EGS, and that Fervo overcomes the problem of long-term thermal drawdown. (As it happens, I’m currently working on a report into FORGE.)
Thanks so much, Tom!
Commiserating on editing woes, including the one that resulted in eliding your mention of Fervo in the final draft submission. And very much looking forward to reading your future writings on this topic!