| Corporate America loves talking a big game on climate. But actually cutting emissions? That’s hard. Many companies have gone on a renewable binge in recent years, buying massive amounts of wind and solar as part of an attempt to green their electricity supplies. The only problem? Data centers and factories consume electrons around the clock while renewables generate power only some of the time. Which is why there was so much fanfare in energy circles last week when Google announced the opening of an advanced geothermal project in Nevada. The Google-supported project is only a pilot capable of generating a small amount of electricity. But by using a new method involving fracking and horizontal drilling, it could expand the pool of potential geothermal opportunities beyond natural underground hot water reservoirs. That could supercharge the growth of geothermal and help fill gaps in wind and solar generation with emissions-free power. “We’re hitting a high level of renewable energy and so we’re starting to recognize the limitations of this approach,” Maud Texier, Google’s head of clean energy and carbon development, told E&E News for a story published today. “Our business is relying on our capability of finding electrons, electrons that are running 24/7 and electrons that need to be clean — not just for us, but from the license to operate perspective.” The project is an outgrowth of an initiative Google launched in 2020 to power its operations around the clock with clean energy. It partnered with Fervo Energy, a Houston-based startup that uses techniques honed by the oil and gas industry to extract heat from the Earth to make electricity. As with any technology, there are limits to what geothermal can provide. The technology’s application in the U.S. is likely concentrated in the western parts of the country. Still, there is a lot of room for growth: Today, less than half a percent of U.S. power generation comes from geothermal energy. Analysts said the partnership between Google and Fervo is a sign of where clean energy investment is likely headed, with increased focus on technologies that can complement wind and solar. “What will be a clear trend is growth in dispatched renewables. It could be batteries, hydrogen, geothermal,” said Timothy Lieuwen, executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute at the Georgia Institute for Technology. “What looks good for Reno, Nevada, is going to look different from Atlanta, Georgia.”
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