‘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.
‘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.
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.
Likely causes problems. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, nasty chemicals from the bedrock are released by the creation of the “fracture network” (shattering the bedrock), which gets into the water used for steam generation. From there, if it’s a closed loop system, the damage is somewhat limited, although this likely ruins the groundwater in the area, but if it’s an open loop system, then it emits all the toxic gases stored in the bedrock (including methane and carbon dioxide) and creates a constant stream of contaminated water that has to be dealt with.
Isn’t the entire problem with fracking the gas extraction? Otherwise it’s just digging a hole.
My understanding is that it can also cause a lot of soil instability and subsidence in the area, but this may be different? Like I said, I’m happy to be wrong.
You are not reading it wrong