Fervo Energy has been conducting a 30-day well test in Nevada and recently announced a breakthrough in next-generation geothermal technology. This test was performed at the company’s full-scall pilot called Project Red in Nevada.
Yesterday in Houston, Texas, the company hosted its inaugural Fervo Energy Technology Day featuring project details and how these breakthroughs in geothermal technology are on course to accelerate the deployment of next-generation geothermal power.
“The 30-day well test achieved a flow rate of 63 liters per second at high temperature that enables 3.5 MW of electric production, setting new records for both flow and power output from an enhanced geothermal system,” Fervo Energy said in a press release.
The results of these tests mean Project Red is now the most productive enhanced geothermal system in history. It is the first company to ever successfully drill a horizontal well pair for the use of commercial geothermal production. The drill reached lateral lengths of 3,250 feet with a temperature of 191 °C. Tracer testing proved the drilling system could maintain controlled flow throughout the process.
“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,” said Tim Latimer, Fervo Energy CEO and Co-Founder.
A few years ago, Google and Fervo Energy signed the first corporate agreement to develop next-generation geothermal power with the intent to power Google’s Cloud region in Las Vegas. The goal was to have an “always-on carbon-free resource” to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
“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,” said Michael Terrell, Senior Director for Energy and Climate, Google. “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.”
These tests concluded that geothermal energy could cover 20% of U.S. power needs and when paired with wind and solar power could set up the country for a fully decarbonized power grid way ahead of schedule.
“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.