All articles tagged with #geothermal
Apple plans to lay off about 200 staff tied to Siri and VisionPro ahead of the CEO transition, while Amazon increases prices on Echo devices and Kindles due to higher memory/storage costs; the piece also highlights Ormat Technologies’ push to scale geothermal power with enhanced geothermal systems to meet growing AI data-center demand.
In a six-kilometre stretch of the Peruvian Amazon, water runs as hot as about 86°C (peaking above 90°C), hot enough to cook small animals; researchers say the heat comes from groundwater circulating deep through rock faults rather than from volcanic activity, making Shanay-Timpishka a natural laboratory for how warming could affect Amazon ecosystems, including biodiversity loss and canopy changes.
New York City and the MTA will study a thermal energy network at the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and Chambers Street stations that would capture heat from hot subway platforms and redirect it via geothermal boreholes to warm nearby government buildings in winter, cooling platforms in summer. The feasibility study, with design work eyed for 2027, would mark the first TEN in a U.S. transit system and aligns with the Chambers Street modernization, aiming to reduce indoor heat and energy use while testing a potential win‑win for transit and municipal buildings.
New York City plans an $800,000 feasibility study to test a Thermal Energy Network that would pull heat from hot subway platforms and store it in nearby municipal buildings for winter use, starting with the Brooklyn Bridge‑City Hall and Chambers Street complex. If viable, design work could begin in 2027, using geothermal boreholes under the Chambers platform to transfer heat to heated city buildings; the effort aims to curb summer heat on platforms (which have topped around 96°F) and reduce the isolation of riders in sweltering stations. The concept, used in hospitals and universities, was previously explored for 168th Street and 181st Street, with city officials framing it as an innovative climate solution for NYC.
Iceland transformed a volcanic landscape into a clean-energy powerhouse by expanding geothermal heating and renewable electricity generation through decades of drilling, public investment, and shared infrastructure; today nearly all homes are heated by geothermal water and electricity is largely renewable (hydro and geothermal), reducing carbon emissions and delivering substantial economic benefits—potentially up to about 7% of GDP through avoided fossil-fuel costs.—bot_challenge:false} }``` However, I included trailing characters that might be misinterpreted. I should correct: The JSON should be properly formatted with the tldr as a single paragraph, and bot_challenge boolean only. Also remove stray characters at end. I'll fix. Actually I included a stray
A new, actively boiling pool formed in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin between June 14–16 after a hydrothermal explosion on June 13. The pool measures about 6.5 by 5.3 meters and sits above an 18.5-meter-long crack, with jets spouting up to 6–9 meters observed on June 18, indicating ongoing activity. Scientists captured video of the eruption and conclude the event likely resulted from ground collapse rather than a larger explosion, though it underscores the park's dynamic, hazardous hydrothermal system and is smaller than the 2024 eruption. No injuries were reported.
Bipartisan legislation seeks to back the next generation of geothermal energy—especially enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)—to access hotter, deeper rocks. Companies like Quaise are testing millimeter-wave drilling and other advanced methods to cut costs and expand locations, while Fervo Energy advances pilot projects and Google signs power deals. Despite promise, economics remain challenging due to high upfront costs and water use, but advocates say higher temperatures could dramatically boost output and energy security, with policy support potentially accelerating liftoff.
An explosion at Yellowstone National Park carved a 20-foot crater filled with boiling water, underscoring the ongoing geothermal activity in the park.
Scientists using seismometers mapped a vast underground magma reservoir beneath Tuscany, Italy—comparable in size to Yellowstone’s magmatic system—yet with no eruptions. The dormant chamber, detected to a depth of 15 kilometers, could inform geothermal development and mineral exploration while raising questions about why it has remained inactive.
Seismic tomography reveals a massive, 8–15 km-deep magma reservoir beneath Tuscany containing more than 5,000 km3 of melt—comparable to Yellowstone’s magma chambers—yet with no eruption history. The system could host supercritical fluids above 500°C, offering insights for geothermal energy and mineral deposits while informing crustal evolution studies.
The U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $171.5 million in a funding opportunity to support next‑generation geothermal field‑scale tests for electricity generation and exploration drilling to validate promising geothermal prospects. The first round will open with two topics focused on enhanced geothermal systems and hydrothermal resource characterization/confirmation. DOE says the effort could unlock large geothermal potential—up to about 300 GW by 2050—and is part of President Trump’s energy agenda; letters of intent are due March 27, 2026, with full applications due April 30, 2026.
The final GOP reconciliation bill, expected to be signed by President Trump, significantly reduces incentives for solar, wind, and clean hydrogen projects, while preserving some benefits for nuclear and geothermal energy through 2033. The bill introduces stricter project timelines and new rules for foreign entities, potentially impacting climate tech startups and the data center sector, with hydrogen credits ending earlier than planned.
The US is recognizing geothermal energy as a significant resource, with New Mexico alone holding an estimated 163 gigawatts of potential, and recent policy moves aim to expand its development, supported by technological advances and interest from data centers and the Department of Defense.
Fervo Energy secured $206 million in funding to develop what will be the world's largest enhanced geothermal power plant in Utah, with initial operations expected in 2024 and expansion in 2028, leveraging advanced drilling technology and significant investment from notable backers like Breakthrough Energy Catalyst.
Fervo Energy successfully drilled a deep, hot geothermal well reaching 15,765 feet and 520°F in just 16 days, setting new performance records and demonstrating the scalability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). The results support the potential for large-scale, deep geothermal energy deployment beyond the western US, with independent verification indicating significant thermal energy reserves and capacity for over 5 GW of development. This advancement positions geothermal as a key contributor to the US's clean energy future amid rising power demands.