Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Internet search engine giant Google, is to invest $10.25 million USD in a new, expanded form of geothermal energy.
Img: Geothermal power technologies. Credit: US Dept of Energy.
Known as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), the technology mimics traditional geothermal energy by fracturing hot rocks in the Earth's crust and circulating water through the system, before then using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine, according to a Google.org news release.
Tapping an almost unlimited supply of heat, the system does not need to rely on traditional geothermal energy, which only occurs in areas where steam or hot water occurs naturally from the ground.
According to research from the U.S. Department of Energy, EGS technology could increase the potential of geothermal energy by as much as 40 times its current usage as a renewable energy resource.
The report said companies had successfully harvested hot rocks in Australia, Japan and Europe, adding that research had stopped in the U.S. after a brief flurry of exploration during the oil crises of the 1970s.
Google.org will donate the money to two companies involved in the technology; AltaRock Energy, which will receive $6.25 million USD, and Porter Drilling, which will receive $4 million USD.
Additionally, the Geothermal Laboratory at Southern Methodist University, which is working on locating geothermal sources in North America, will receive a grant of about $490,000 USD, reports the Christian Science Monitor.
"While the US debates drilling in the ocean for oil, we are focused on drilling for renewable energy -- and lots of it -- right beneath our feet," a Google.org press release outlined yesterday.
"EGS has the potential to provide clean renewable electricity 24/7, at a cost cheaper than coal," it added. "The ability to produce electricity from geothermal energy has been thought exclusive to locations such as California and Iceland. However EGS could allow us to harness the heat within the earth almost anywhere."
For more information, see this video on Google's YouTube channel.
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