A new geothermal power plant will help power Google data centers in Nevada, US.
The 3.5MW project developed by Google and geothermal developer Fervo Energy provides power to the grid, supporting Google's data centers via a power purchase agreement.
"The US Department of Energy found that geothermal energy could provide up to 120GW of reliable, flexible generation capacity in the US by 2050 and generate over 16 percent of the US’ anticipated electricity needs," Michael Terrell, senior director of energy and climate at Google, said.
"Geothermal is a viable clean energy option in many regions where it’s difficult to build other renewable energy sources, notably the Asia Pacific region. Still, geothermal is not yet widely used, because traditional technologies can only be deployed economically in areas where underground heat is easily accessible."
The Google and Fervo project was originally announced in 2021 as a 5MW project that will use Google AI systems to help with its operations.
Fervo installed fiber optic cables inside its two wells in order to gather real-time data on flow, temperature, and performance of its geothermal system.
