Google.org Foundation Invests and Makes Grant in Enhanced Geothermal Systems Technology
Aug 19, 2008 – Google [GOOG] announced today that its nonprofit philanthropic foundation, Google.org, made $10 million in investments and grants in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology. Google states that, “EGS expands the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. The traditional geothermal approach relies on finding naturally occurring pockets of steam or hot water. The EGS process, by comparison, replicates these conditions by fracturing hot rock, circulating water through the system, and using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine.” EGS could provided for geothermal energy production almost anywhere rather than just in Iceland and California. $6.25 million was invested in AltaRock Energy, $4 million in Potter Drilling and almost $500K was granted to the Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory. Australia, Germany, and the European Union are leaders in this developing technology. Google asserts that all 50 US states, Europe, Russia, China, and India have substantial thermal resources accessible by EGS. Google cited a recent MIT report that calculated that just 2% of the heat energy 3-10 km below the continental US is greater than 2,500 times the USA’s total annual energy use.
Of course, the energy has to be converted to a system that is usable for the purposes required, e.g., powering automobiles, etc. It certainly could be, and is being, used to produce electricity. Thus, this provides another reason for the development of electric cars.
Google has a strong commitment to green energy and energy conservation. Its commitment to energy efficiency results in a 50% decrease in the power requirements for its offices and data centers, one of the largest solar panel installations in the US to power its Mountain View campus, accelerating the use of electric vehicles, working to advance policies that support green energy through Google.org, and helping to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that advocates the use of more energy efficient computers and servers.
