Can Startup’s New Drilling Technology Unlock Limitless Geothermal Power?
March 1st, 2022Via: Interesting Engineering:
Quaise Energy plans to use millimeter-wave drilling systems that can reach depths where geothermal energy is virtually unlimited. The firm will drill with microwaves in order to go deeper than ever before.
On its website, Quaise Emergy describes the technology as follows: “Our gyrotron-powered drilling platform vaporizes boreholes through rock and provides access to deep geothermal heat without complex downhole equipment. Based on breakthrough fusion research and well-established drilling practices, we are developing a radical new approach to ultra-deep drilling.”
Better yet, the firm does not plan on producing new geothermal plants from scratch but is rather looking at repowering old oil and gas plants. This will be more cost-efficient and also allow the workforce from these plants to join the clean energy transition.
Finally, Quaise Energy claims that deep geothermal uses less than 1 percent of the land and materials of other renewables, making it the most convenient and profitable choice toward a clean energy future. The company has already raised $63 million indicating it is well on its way to making ubiquitous access to geothermal a viable option.
