‘Breakthrough’ geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power | Fervo Energy’s Nevada site is slated to power Google data centers.::An energy company called Fervo says it has achieved a breakthrough in geothermal technology.
‘Breakthrough’ geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power | Fervo Energy’s Nevada site is slated to power Google data centers.::An energy company called Fervo says it has achieved a breakthrough in geothermal technology.
Likely causes problems. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, nasty chemicals from the bedrock are released by the creation of the “fracture network” (shattering the bedrock), which gets into the water used for steam generation. From there, if it’s a closed loop system, the damage is somewhat limited, although this likely ruins the groundwater in the area, but if it’s an open loop system, then it emits all the toxic gases stored in the bedrock (including methane and carbon dioxide) and creates a constant stream of contaminated water that has to be dealt with.