Google Invests In Enhanced Geothermal Technology
By Anna Johnson on August 22nd, 2008Google.org, Google’s philanthropic branch, has invested just over $10 million into organizations developing enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).
Unlike traditional geothermal systems, which extract heat from a few hundred feet deep into the ground, EGS extracts heat by going several kilometers deep into the hot rock under the Earth. TechCrunch reports that tapping just 2 percent of that heat under the continental United States would supply more than 2500 times our energy needs.
However, as with many alternative energy sources, it’s all about being able to do so cost-effectively. That’s where Google.org’s money comes in - in the development of systems to make that energy extraction cost-effective.
Google.org has devoted $6.25 million of the total sum to AltaRock Energy, $4 million to Potter Drilling, and a $500,000 grant to a geothermal lab at Southern Methodist University.
