Google boasts that their innovative geothermal energy project in Nevada is now supplying carbon-free electricity (CFE) to power its data centers. The project, a partnership between Google and clean energy startup Fervo Energy, has successfully achieved round-the-clock CFE supply to the grid, marking a significant step toward Google’s goal of fully powering its data centers and offices with CFE by 2030. Unlike other renewable energy sources like solar and wind, geothermal projects can provide energy at all times, not just during the day.
The breakthrough came when Fervo Energy’s EGS system set flow and power output records earlier this year, producing 3.5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 2,600 homes. EGS has been a goal for scientists since the 1970s, requiring a combination of heat, rock permeability, and fluid to generate electricity. In areas with sufficient heat but insufficient permeability, EGS allows for deep drilling and the injection of fluid to create fractures in the rock, generating steam to produce CFE.
The Department of Energy has noted that EGS poses a low risk of water contamination. EGS reservoirs are deeper in the ground than oil and gas reservoirs, minimizing the risk to groundwater. In addition, geothermal power plants do not release water on the surface. A 2019 DOE report suggested that advancements in technology and policy could lead to EGS generating up to 120 gigawatts of clean energy by 2050, covering over 16% of the US’ electricity needs.
Google is actively working to promote the adoption of EGS as a clean energy solution by partnering with Project InnerSpace, a non-profit organization focused on overcoming barriers to geothermal energy development. Fervo Energy is also making strides with an EGS site in Utah, expected to deliver 400 megawatts of 24/7 carbon-free electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes. The site is set to begin delivering power to the grid in 2026 and reach full-scale production two years later.
