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Advanced Geothermal Systems

Jose Luis Caceres, MSc. – Eavor’s ‘closed-loop’​ technology: Could this approach reach the ‘holy-grail’​ status for clean energy?

Jose Luis Caceres, the CEO of SustainablEarth Power, published an article regarding Eavor Technologies Inc.’s Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS) and the potential to reach the ‘holy-grail’ status for clean energy.

Caceres suggests that “A prominent proponent of [AGS] and perhaps the most important player in its development, from conception to testing to market opportunities and applications is the Canadian company Eavor Technologies.” In explaining the functionality of Eavor’s AGS systems and Eavor-Loop™ technology, Caceres focuses on the technological considerations and the thermosiphon effect. He says, “When it comes to the technical viability of the technology, a major accomplishment of the Eavor-Lite™ pilot project was to prove the thermodynamic performance of the Eavor-Loop™, that means, the demonstration that the subsurface heat transfer and thermosiphon worked as expected.”

Caceres also talks about how temperature gradients in relation to depth and thermal conductivity of rock formations are geological aspects that determine the amount of energy that Eavor-Loop™ can produce. He shares that, “The closed-loop system is designed for meeting specific heat-energy requirements. Because the system design is based on data that is well identified and known, the collection of heat energy and therefore the amount of energy (thermal or power) that the system can produce is highly predictable. Once the system is built, the control of the flow rate in the loops determines the heat offtake from the subsurface.”

In his comparison of Eavor’s AGS systems to traditional geothermal, Caceres suggests “disproportional advantages for the Eavor-Loop™, particularly when it comes to geographical and geological limitations, which are greatly suppressed with Eavor-Loop™.” He adds that another significant advantage of Eavor’s technology is the ability to be scalable.

Caceres argues that the Eavor-Loop™ “meets all the most desirable attributes of any energy source,” as a “technical proposition.” He suggests these attributes include the dispatchable, flexible and scalable nature of the technology, as well as the highly predictable energy output and lack of exploratory risks. Caceres also outlines the environmental advantages of the technology, saying “Typically a closed-loop plant in operation would have a smaller environmental footprint than other sources of renewable energy such as wind or solar.”

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