this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
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'Breakthrough' geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power | Fervo Energy's Nevada site is slated to power Google data centers.::An energy company called Fervo says it has achieved a breakthrough in geothermal technology.

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[–] Hotdogman 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We're gonna need this technology for our cities underground once they release the ai and it takes over the surface. We should probably cover the sky so the ai doesn't use solar power.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Good idea, hopefully they don’t just turn humans into terribly inefficient batteries that make literally no sense

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Haha the original idea of using our brains for processing power made way more sense.

[–] ultratiem 2 points 1 year ago

Wowa slow down there Copper Top!

[–] TurboDiesel 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I may be reading this wrong, but am I the only one for whom this sounds a lot like fracking, minus the gas extraction? I'd be curious to see the knock-on effects in the surrounding area.

Hopefully I'm wrong, because I feel like this could be a pretty big leap for energy generation.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You are not reading it wrong

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Isn't the entire problem with fracking the gas extraction? Otherwise it's just digging a hole.

[–] TurboDiesel 5 points 1 year ago

My understanding is that it can also cause a lot of soil instability and subsidence in the area, but this may be different? Like I said, I'm happy to be wrong.

[–] gon 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is someone about to be murdered by the CIA?

[–] crypticthree 10 points 1 year ago

If this proves to be a viable alternative energy source, it will employ most of the extant petro-industry. This is a win for the status quo economically speaking

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I am bit sceptical, but I hope it works. Company that I work is part of project that drills geothermal to 7km deep. This tech is challenging in general.

300 000 homes sounds to me near impossible. Also article talks 3,6MW, but doesn't specify is it MWt or MWe. I assume it is heat, which to converted in turbine to electricity is less than 1.5MW electricity. Also talking about power (MW), but not energy (MWh) is bit strange, and to me sounds that it is just peak what they got.

Edit: the actual paper talks about peak power: https://eartharxiv.org/repository/object/5704/download/11142/

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