Fervo has made important progress in the field of Geothermal energy by using oil drilling technology-Jingzhou Jinxiu Machinery Technology Co., Ltd._Plug valve

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Fervo has made important progress in the field of Geothermal energy by using oil drilling technology

Published time:

2023-07-21

According to the report on July 19 in the drilling zone, Fervo Energy, a geothermal start-up based in Houston, said at a press conference on Tuesday that it had successfully completed a well test to confirm the commercial feasibility of Geothermal energy development using oil and gas drilling technology.
According to the news released, the 30 day well test is the standard practice of the Geothermal energy industry, and the flow of 63 liters per second has been achieved under high temperature conditions, enabling the system to generate 3.5 megawatts of electricity, which not only sets a new high in the flow and power output of the Enhanced geothermal system, but also achieves such results for the first time in the field of Geothermal energy development by using oil and gas drilling technology. This test was completed in a comprehensive commercial pilot called the "Red Project" conducted by Fervo Energy in northern Nevada.
Fervo CEO Tim Latimer said, "By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce zero carbon energy resources 24/7 in new global locations." He also said, "The incredible results we are sharing today are the results of Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google's years of focus and commitment
According to the press conference, Fervo and Google signed the world's first enterprise agreement in 2021, aiming to develop the next generation of geothermal energy. The goal is to provide Google with all-weather zero carbon resources in its cloud service area in Las Vegas, so as to reduce the company's time dependence on fossil fuels.
Fervo stated, "We are the first company to successfully drill a commercial geothermal production horizontal well, achieving a lateral length of 3250 feet, reaching a temperature of 191 degrees Celsius, and proving controllable flow through rigorous tracing tests. At the same time, no accidents occurred during the project completion process.
Fervo said that the data collected during the pilot process will "promote the rapid deployment of Geothermal energy". The company plans to have the power output of the next horizontal well exceed twice the pilot design.
Michael Terrell, Senior Director of Energy and Climate at Google, said, "Achieving our goal of using zero carbon energy 24/7 requires new stable and clean power sources to supplement intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar We partnered with Fervo in 2021 because we saw significant potential for their geothermal technology to unlock critical full-time zero carbon energy on a large scale. We are very pleased that Fervo has reached this important technological milestone
Fervo said that the pilot results support the findings of the enhanced geothermal Earthshot program of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The enhanced geothermal Earthshot program aims to reduce the price of Geothermal energy to $445 per MWh by 2035 by reducing its cost by 90%. Fervo added that Geothermal energy can provide more than 20% of the power demand of the United States, and complement wind and solar energy to achieve a fully decarbonized grid.
Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor of Princeton University and head of "ZERO Energy System Research and Optimization (ZERO) Laboratory", said at the press conference: "Power system modeling confirms that Geothermal energy can play an important role in a fully decarbonized power grid. Fervo's successful commercial pilot will transform the next generation of geothermal technology from theoretical application to practical application, laying the foundation for developing the full potential of geothermal energy."
Similarly, Devon Energy is also an investor in Fervo, investing $10 million as early as April this year. In 2021, Fervo is one of the 17 projects selected by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), and has received a total of 46 million dollars of funding support, in line with its Geothermal energy research frontier observation plan at the University of Utah.

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