第2029期:Company Works with Google to Provide Energy from the Earth’s Heat

Google recently announced that it has begun using carbon-free electricity from a geothermal project to power data centers in the state of Nevada. 

谷歌最近宣布，它已开始使用地热项目的无碳电力为内华达州的数据中心供电。 

Tim Latimer is chief and co-founder of Fervo Energy based in Houston, Texas. His company is working with Google on its geothermal project. 

蒂姆·拉蒂默 (Tim Latimer) 是德克萨斯州休斯顿 Fervo Energy 的首席执行官兼联合创始人。 他的公司正在与谷歌合作开发地热项目。 

Latimer said that getting electricity on the grid from geothermal resources is an event many new energy companies never reach. 

拉蒂默表示，利用地热资源并网发电是许多新能源公司从未达到的目标。 

He added that he believes geothermal energy will become more well-known than in the past. 

他补充说，他相信地热能将比过去更加为人所知。

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has long suggested geothermal could be an answer to climate change. The IEA said in a 2011 document that geothermal could reach 3.5 percent of global electricity production each year by 2050. The Paris-based international group says geothermal energy could prevent almost 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. 

国际能源署（IEA）长期以来一直认为地热能是应对气候变化的答案。 IEA 在 2011 年的一份文件中表示，到 2050 年，地热能每年将占全球发电量的 3.5%。这家总部位于巴黎的国际组织表示，地热能每年可以减少近 8 亿吨二氧化碳排放。 

Fervo Energy is using this first test to launch other projects that will provide more electricity to the grid. The company is currently completing some work in southwest Utah for a 400-megawatt project. 

Fervo Energy 正在利用首次测试启动其他项目，为电网提供更多电力。 该公司目前正在完成犹他州西南部一个 400 兆瓦项目的部分工作。 

Google and Fervo Energy started working together in 2021 to develop geothermal power. The plant near Winnemucca, Nevada, is now operating and is sending about 3.5 megawatts to the grid. There are three wells there. 

Google 和 Fervo Energy 于 2021 年开始合作开发地热能。 内华达州温尼马卡附近的工厂现已投入运营，并向电网输送约 3.5 兆瓦的电力。 那里有三口井。 

However, the data centers require more electricity than that. So, Google signed other agreements for solar energy and electricity storage too. The company has two plants in Nevada, one near Las Vegas and the other near Reno. Michael Terrell leads climate efforts at Google. He said the company is considering using geothermal energy for other data centers worldwide. 

然而，数据中心需要更多的电力。 因此，谷歌还签署了其他太阳能和电力存储协议。 该公司在内华达州拥有两家工厂，一家靠近拉斯维加斯，另一家靠近里诺。 迈克尔·特雷尔 (Michael Terrell) 领导谷歌的气候工作。 他表示，该公司正在考虑将地热能用于全球其他数据中心。 

“We’re really hoping that this could be a springboard to much, much more advanced geothermal power available to us and others around the world,” he said. 

“我们真的希望这可以成为我们和世界各地其他人获得更先进的地热能的跳板，”他说。

Google announced in 2020 that it would use what it calls “carbon-free” energy every hour of every day, wherever it operates, by 2030. 

谷歌在 2020 年宣布，到 2030 年，无论其在何处运营，它将每天每小时都使用所谓的“无碳”能源。 

Many energy experts believe huge companies like Google can play a part in increasing the use of clean energy. 

许多能源专家认为，像谷歌这样的大公司可以在增加清洁能源的使用方面发挥作用。

Terrell noted the company was also an early supporter of wind and solar projects, helping those markets grow to where they are today. 

特雷尔指出，该公司也是风能和太阳能项目的早期支持者，帮助这些市场发展到今天的水平。 

“It’s a very similar situation. Now that we’ve set a goal to be 24/7 carbon-free energy, we have found it will take more than just wind, solar and storage,” Terrell said. 

“这是一个非常相似的情况。 既然我们已经设定了 24/7 无碳能源的目标，我们发现它需要的不仅仅是风能、太阳能和存储，”特雷尔说。

The United States leads the world in using heat from the Earth for electricity production. But geothermal makes up less than half a percent of the nation’s total electricity production, says the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2022, that geothermal power came from California, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, Oregon, Idaho and New Mexico. 

美国在利用地球热量发电方面处于世界领先地位。 但美国能源情报署表示，地热发电仅占全国总发电量的不到0.5%。 2022 年，地热能来自加利福尼亚州、内华达州、犹他州、夏威夷州、俄勒冈州、爱达荷州和新墨西哥州。 

Those are states thought to have geothermal possibilities because they have large amounts of steam or very hot water close to the surface. 

这些州被认为具有地热可能性，因为它们在靠近地表的地方有大量的蒸汽或非常热水。

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said earlier this year that advances in new geothermal systems will help introduce this form of energy to areas where it has been thought to be impossible. 

美国能源部长詹妮弗·格兰霍姆今年早些时候表示，新地热系统的进步将有助于将这种形式的能源引入那些被认为不可能的地区。

Some geothermal companies, including Fervo, are now going deeper below ground. This makes it possible to find energy in more places. Latimer is a former drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry. 

包括 Fervo 在内的一些地热公司现在正在深入地下。 这使得在更多地方找到能源成为可能。 拉蒂默是石油和天然气行业的前钻井工程师。 

Drilling technology got much better during the shale boom that turned the United States into a top oil and gas producer and exporter. But very little new technology has gone from the oil and gas industry to geothermal, said Fervo official Sarah Jewett. 

在页岩气繁荣时期，钻井技术得到了很大提高，使美国成为最大的石油和天然气生产国和出口国。 但 Fervo 官员 Sarah Jewett 表示，从石油和天然气行业转向地热能的新技术很少。 

In October, Latimer gave a presentation at ClimateTech 2023, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Latimer told the conference about how Fervo is developing horizontal drilling in geothermal reservoirs. By drilling horizontally, Fervo can reach more of the hot reservoir, instead of drilling many wells straight down. 

10 月，Latimer 在麻省理工学院举行的 ClimateTech 2023 大会上发表了演讲。 Latimer 在会上介绍了 Fervo 如何在地热储层中开发水平钻探。 通过水平钻井，Fervo 可以到达更多的热储层，而不是直接向下钻很多口井。 

Both Fervo and Google said geothermal is valuable as a clean energy technology that is always available. Fervo’s next project, in Beaver County, Utah, is to begin providing clean power to the grid in 2026 and reach full production in 2028. 

Fervo 和谷歌都表示，地热作为一种随时可用的清洁能源技术很有价值。 Fervo 的下一个项目位于犹他州比弗县，计划于 2026 年开始向电网提供清洁电力，并于 2028 年实现全面投产。 

“This is unlocking something deeply sought after in the market today…and that is, round-the-clock renewable energy,” Jewett said. 

“这释放了当今市场上深受追捧的东西……那就是全天候可再生能源，”朱伊特说。