谷歌对地热能的投入终于开始取得回报。Fervo Energy是一家专注于地热能技术（尤其是增强型地热系统，EGS）的公司，得到了Chocolate Factory的投资支持。本周，该公司位于犹他州比弗县（Beaver County）的Cape Station发电厂首次成功发电。作为该项目中的首批三个33兆瓦（MW）的地热发电单元之一，该发电单元已经开始向电网供电，并预计将于下周投入商业运营；另外两个66兆瓦的发电单元也将在新年前投入使用。Fervo表示，该发电厂的发电容量最终有望超过4吉瓦（GW）。目前，该公司正致力于实现合同中约定的900兆瓦的发电目标。
Google's bet on geothermal energy is starting to pay off. Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) provider backed by the Chocolate Factory, achieved first power at its Cape Station power plant in Beaver County, Utah this week. The first of three 33 MW GeoBlocks has begun supplying electricity to the grid and is expected to reach commercial operation next week, with another 66 MW of capacity expected to come online by New Year. Fervo says the station has the potential to eventually scale to more than four gigawatts of capacity. For now, the company is working toward fulfilling 900 MW of contracted capacity. The deployment builds on years of research and development into EGS technologies that use heat generated by the Earth's crust to convert water into steam, which, like in most other power plants, is converted into energy using turbines. The trick is getting the water deep enough in the first place. To overcome this challenge, Fervo borrowed technologies originally developed by the oil and gas industry. Two parallel wells are dug to around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) below the surface. The rock is then fractured to allow water to pass between the two, heating the water to 190 degrees Celsius in the process. Back in 2023, Fervo demonstrated the tech at its Project Red site, which was capable of generating a modest 3.5 MW of power. Fervo’s Cape Station is orders of magnitude larger in scope. While the plan is expected to produce just 100 MW of capacity by January 1, its capacity is expected to swell to half a gigawatt by 2028. One of the major beneficiaries of the buildout is Google. The search and advertising giant has been an early proponent of geothermal power generation going back to at least 2008. In addition to its deal with Fervo, Google has also agreed to buy power from Ormat Technologies’ competing geothermal operations. Earlier this year, the Chocolate Factory announced a 150 MW deal with Ormat and Nevada’s NV Energy to fuel its datacenter expansion. Faced with grid constraints, Meta has been investing in the tech. Back in 2024, the company partnered with Sage Geosystems to deliver up to 150 MW of power. However, compared to conventional energy generation, geothermal still faces challenges as noted by think tank Rhodium last year. While the firm estimates the tech could meet up to 64 percent of datacenter demand by the end of the decade, those bit barns could end up paying a 20 percent premium for it. ®
Fervo的这项技术基于多年的研发成果，其核心原理是利用地壳产生的热量将水转化为蒸汽，再通过涡轮机将蒸汽转化为电能。关键在于如何将水输送到足够深的地下层以获取足够的地热能。为了解决这一难题，Fervo借鉴了石油和天然气行业的相关技术：他们挖掘了两口平行井，这两口井的深度达到了约8,000英尺（2,438米），随后通过特殊手段对地层进行压裂处理，使水在两口井之间流动，从而将水温加热到190摄氏度。早在2023年，Fervo就在其“Project Red”项目中展示了这项技术的可行性，该项目当时能够产生3.5兆瓦的电力。不过，Cape Station的规模要大得多。虽然该项目在1月1日前的发电容量仅为100兆瓦，但预计到2028年这一数字将增加到500兆瓦。
Google's bet on geothermal energy is starting to pay off. Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) provider backed by the Chocolate Factory, achieved first power at its Cape Station power plant in Beaver County, Utah this week. The first of three 33 MW GeoBlocks has begun supplying electricity to the grid and is expected to reach commercial operation next week, with another 66 MW of capacity expected to come online by New Year. Fervo says the station has the potential to eventually scale to more than four gigawatts of capacity. For now, the company is working toward fulfilling 900 MW of contracted capacity. The deployment builds on years of research and development into EGS technologies that use heat generated by the Earth's crust to convert water into steam, which, like in most other power plants, is converted into energy using turbines. The trick is getting the water deep enough in the first place. To overcome this challenge, Fervo borrowed technologies originally developed by the oil and gas industry. Two parallel wells are dug to around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) below the surface. The rock is then fractured to allow water to pass between the two, heating the water to 190 degrees Celsius in the process. Back in 2023, Fervo demonstrated the tech at its Project Red site, which was capable of generating a modest 3.5 MW of power. Fervo’s Cape Station is orders of magnitude larger in scope. While the plan is expected to produce just 100 MW of capacity by January 1, its capacity is expected to swell to half a gigawatt by 2028. One of the major beneficiaries of the buildout is Google. The search and advertising giant has been an early proponent of geothermal power generation going back to at least 2008. In addition to its deal with Fervo, Google has also agreed to buy power from Ormat Technologies’ competing geothermal operations. Earlier this year, the Chocolate Factory announced a 150 MW deal with Ormat and Nevada’s NV Energy to fuel its datacenter expansion. Faced with grid constraints, Meta has been investing in the tech. Back in 2024, the company partnered with Sage Geosystems to deliver up to 150 MW of power. However, compared to conventional energy generation, geothermal still faces challenges as noted by think tank Rhodium last year. While the firm estimates the tech could meet up to 64 percent of datacenter demand by the end of the decade, those bit barns could end up paying a 20 percent premium for it. ®
谷歌是这项地热能项目的主要受益者之一。这家搜索引擎和广告巨头自2008年以来就一直积极支持地热能发电技术的发展。除了与Fervo的合作外，谷歌还同意从Ormat Technologies公司的地热发电项目中购买电力。
Google's bet on geothermal energy is starting to pay off. Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) provider backed by the Chocolate Factory, achieved first power at its Cape Station power plant in Beaver County, Utah this week. The first of three 33 MW GeoBlocks has begun supplying electricity to the grid and is expected to reach commercial operation next week, with another 66 MW of capacity expected to come online by New Year. Fervo says the station has the potential to eventually scale to more than four gigawatts of capacity. For now, the company is working toward fulfilling 900 MW of contracted capacity. The deployment builds on years of research and development into EGS technologies that use heat generated by the Earth's crust to convert water into steam, which, like in most other power plants, is converted into energy using turbines. The trick is getting the water deep enough in the first place. To overcome this challenge, Fervo borrowed technologies originally developed by the oil and gas industry. Two parallel wells are dug to around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) below the surface. The rock is then fractured to allow water to pass between the two, heating the water to 190 degrees Celsius in the process. Back in 2023, Fervo demonstrated the tech at its Project Red site, which was capable of generating a modest 3.5 MW of power. Fervo’s Cape Station is orders of magnitude larger in scope. While the plan is expected to produce just 100 MW of capacity by January 1, its capacity is expected to swell to half a gigawatt by 2028. One of the major beneficiaries of the buildout is Google. The search and advertising giant has been an early proponent of geothermal power generation going back to at least 2008. In addition to its deal with Fervo, Google has also agreed to buy power from Ormat Technologies’ competing geothermal operations. Earlier this year, the Chocolate Factory announced a 150 MW deal with Ormat and Nevada’s NV Energy to fuel its datacenter expansion. Faced with grid constraints, Meta has been investing in the tech. Back in 2024, the company partnered with Sage Geosystems to deliver up to 150 MW of power. However, compared to conventional energy generation, geothermal still faces challenges as noted by think tank Rhodium last year. While the firm estimates the tech could meet up to 64 percent of datacenter demand by the end of the decade, those bit barns could end up paying a 20 percent premium for it. ®
今年早些时候，Chocolate Factory宣布与Ormat公司及内华达州的NV Energy公司达成了一项价值1.5亿美元的协议，以支持其数据中心的扩建项目。由于电网供应方面的限制，Meta公司一直在积极投资相关技术。早在2024年，该公司就与Sage Geosystems公司合作，旨在提供高达150兆瓦的电力供应。然而，正如智库Rhodium去年所指出的那样，与传统的能源发电方式相比，地热能技术仍面临诸多挑战。尽管该机构估计地热能技术到本世纪末能够满足数据中心约64%的电力需求，但这些数据中心用户可能仍需要为此支付高达20%的额外费用。
Google's bet on geothermal energy is starting to pay off. Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) provider backed by the Chocolate Factory, achieved first power at its Cape Station power plant in Beaver County, Utah this week. The first of three 33 MW GeoBlocks has begun supplying electricity to the grid and is expected to reach commercial operation next week, with another 66 MW of capacity expected to come online by New Year. Fervo says the station has the potential to eventually scale to more than four gigawatts of capacity. For now, the company is working toward fulfilling 900 MW of contracted capacity. The deployment builds on years of research and development into EGS technologies that use heat generated by the Earth's crust to convert water into steam, which, like in most other power plants, is converted into energy using turbines. The trick is getting the water deep enough in the first place. To overcome this challenge, Fervo borrowed technologies originally developed by the oil and gas industry. Two parallel wells are dug to around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) below the surface. The rock is then fractured to allow water to pass between the two, heating the water to 190 degrees Celsius in the process. Back in 2023, Fervo demonstrated the tech at its Project Red site, which was capable of generating a modest 3.5 MW of power. Fervo’s Cape Station is orders of magnitude larger in scope. While the plan is expected to produce just 100 MW of capacity by January 1, its capacity is expected to swell to half a gigawatt by 2028. One of the major beneficiaries of the buildout is Google. The search and advertising giant has been an early proponent of geothermal power generation going back to at least 2008. In addition to its deal with Fervo, Google has also agreed to buy power from Ormat Technologies’ competing geothermal operations. Earlier this year, the Chocolate Factory announced a 150 MW deal with Ormat and Nevada’s NV Energy to fuel its datacenter expansion. Faced with grid constraints, Meta has been investing in the tech. Back in 2024, the company partnered with Sage Geosystems to deliver up to 150 MW of power. However, compared to conventional energy generation, geothermal still faces challenges as noted by think tank Rhodium last year. While the firm estimates the tech could meet up to 64 percent of datacenter demand by the end of the decade, those bit barns could end up paying a 20 percent premium for it. ®