Last November, a virtual corner of the world experienced a sustainability shift that will make the internet 100% renewable thanks to a groundbreaking, environmentally friendly operation initially developed in the northern Nevada desert.
More and more companies are opting for sustainable working methods. Today, a major company in the world of internet search has created a before and after by opting for an ingenious way to guarantee low polluting emissions when its data centers are in operation.
Notably, the famous company Google has created an innovative alternative to ensure that all its data centers run exclusively on green energy 24 hours a day, thus offering a completely environmentally friendly system.
Although the Grid project is small, producing between 2 and 3 megawatts of energy, enough to power a limited number of homes, it represents a vital demonstration of a new paradigm in geothermal energy. This approach could pave the way for harnessing the earth’s natural heat in various regions of the world.
Although hot rocks are widespread, with temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit within the first few miles of the surface, geothermal power plants make only a limited contribution to the world’s electricity supply.
This is largely because they are mostly built in places where it is easy to draw naturally heated water, such as hot springs and geysers. The procedure involves pumping hot water to the surface, which generates steam which, in turn, powers the turbines. However, this is not the method that Google applied.
How was this revolutionary achievement possible?
The Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) in Nevada works in a unique way. Unlike conventional drilling into a natural hydrothermal system, Fervo chose to drill into completely dry rock and create an artificial hot spring by pumping water, which rises to the surface at a much higher temperature.
This revolutionary approach could make the internet 100% renewable. This method follows the application of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) techniques, common in the oil and gas industry. Fervo drilled two wells, both deeper than 2,000 meters and extending completely horizontally.
Continuing the process, the company then joined them together using hydraulic fracturing, creating fractures in the rock that connect the two wells. The water, which initially enters one well cold, emerges from the other at a temperature high enough to activate turbines and generate energy.
Fervo CEO Tim Latimer said the success numbers have remained relatively stable since the successful month-long experiment. During that time, temperatures downhole reached 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius), and enough water was displaced to produce about 3.5 megawatts of electricity.
Those results suggest the project is ready for long-term grid connectivity. In addition, the Nevada wells’ proximity to a traditional geothermal power plant allows existing turbines and power lines to be used to feed electricity into the grid.
Google sparked a revolution by committing to 100% green internet
Google sees geothermal energy as a key solution to the challenge of ensuring a consistent, clean supply for its data centers. While the company has purchased enough renewable energy to cover its annual consumption, the variability in the availability of wind and solar energy poses challenges.
Google is ultimately aiming for a 24/7 clean energy supply by 2030, and geothermal energy is emerging as a key option to achieve that goal, according to Michael Terrell, Google’s director of climate and energy.