Sabine Hossenfelder, in a recent episode of her YouTube series Science News, emphasized the merits of Next-Generation Geothermal technologies, specifically spotlighting Eavor as a solution that is “so modest, you wonder why it wasn’t done a century ago.”
Hossenfelder elaborated on the method of harnessing energy from hot rock, stating that it seems like “the obvious thing to do” to mitigate the effects of climate change. She cited that geoscientists estimate that the energy reserves within the upper 10 km of the Earth’s crust are sufficient to meet the world’s energy needs for several hundred million years—equivalent to 1 million billion gigawatts of energy.
However, Hossenfelder acknowledged that the primary obstacle geothermal energy faces is the high cost of drilling. Accessing rock at sufficient depths to make the process economically viable is even more expensive.
Despite these challenges, geothermal energy remains particularly promising in regions like the American West, where Eavor has projects in its pipeline that capitalize on this potential. One notable project is with Sonoma Clean Power, aiming to generate up to 200 MWe of new geothermal energy through the GeoZone initiative in Northern California. Additionally, Eavor has signed a $70/MWh power purchase agreement in Nevada to produce 200 MW to replace power from a local coal-fired power station.
Hossenfelder highlighted that Eavor’s technology can generate gigawatts of energy anywhere in the world, emphasizing that closed-loop geothermal has been underexplored despite its established technology. Moreover, she stated that innovations in geothermal technology like those from Eavor could play a crucial role in the transition to a sustainable energy future.
Watch the full video here:
