Geothermal project to power Google’s data centers launched in the US

Nevada (USA) has launched a project that uses geothermal energy. It will power two Google data centers, reports The Verge.

Google is implementing this idea together with Fervo Energy. In 2021, they signed “the world’s first corporate agreement to develop a next-generation geothermal energy project.”

This summer, Fervo Energy announced a breakthrough in the project. It conducted a 30-day test of the well and was able to achieve a flow rate of 63 l/s at high temperature, which allows it to produce 3.5 MW of electricity. For comparison, 1 MW is enough to meet the demand of about 750 homes.

Back then, in the summer, record flow and power rates were set for the advanced geothermal system (EGS), and the test itself went off without incident.

One of the advantages of geothermal power plants is that they are carbon-free. This is important for Google, as the company plans to switch all its offices and data centers to carbon-free energy by 2030.