Nuclear-energy deals by technology giants Amazon, Microsoft and Google have sparked media attention around the world in the past few months. But several companies, including Meta and Google, are also investing in another source of low-carbon energy ' next-generation geothermal. The agreements show that this technology is 'on the cusp' of widespread commercial success, says Lauren Boyd, a geologist who heads the Geothermal Technologies Office at the US Department of Energy (DoE) in Washington, DC. On 17 October, Fervo Energy, a start-up based in Houston, Texas, got a major boost as the US government gave the green light to the expansion of a geothermal plant Fervo is building in Beaver County, Utah. The project could eventually generate as much as 2,000 megawatts ' a capacity comparable with that of two large nuclear reactors. Although getting to that point could take a while, the plant already has 400 MW of capacity in the pipeline, and will be ready to provide around-the-clock...
learn more
