American start-up embarks on trial of underground geothermal drilling within USA territories, aiming to utilize Earth's core energy reserves
In a significant stride towards sustainable energy, Canadian geothermal company Rodatherm Energy Corporation has secured a $38 million investment. This investment, provided by TDK Ventures, the corporate venture-capital subsidiary of TDK Corporation, reflects a commitment to transformative technologies addressing global challenges, particularly the urgent need for clean and affordable energy.
The funds will be used to advance Rodatherm's closed-loop geothermal system (AGS) technology. Unlike traditional geothermal plants, the AGS system is entirely closed-loop and fully cased, eliminating the need for drilling into hot rock. This innovative system operates without water consumption, producing no emissions, and promises to deliver affordable, long-term, sustainable energy.
The AGS system is a modular, pressurized system that mimics the thermodynamics of surface heat pumps, but at a depth. It extracts heat using a new working fluid that remains fully isolated from the ground. Heat is transferred through conduction and convection into the isolated fluid, which is then routed directly into a turbine for power generation.
The AGS system is optimized for sedimentary basins with high natural convection, areas that traditional geothermal approaches have largely overlooked. It's designed to be fully cased, pressurized, and optimized for such basins, enabling conductive and convective heat transfer into the working fluid.
One of the key advantages of the AGS system is its small, energy-dense surface footprint and its ability to operate in almost any geological setting. Rodatherm Energy Corporation aims to use the funds to build its first pilot system in Utah, validating the system's cost-efficiency, deploying it within CapEx and OpEx projections, and assessing its energy conversion performance.
Eavor Technologies Inc., another Canadian company, has developed a similar closed-loop geothermal heat pump system for energy generation called Eavor-Loop™. Their system uses a closed fluid circuit heated by the Earth's heat, avoiding water use and emissions. This investment in Rodatherm's AGS technology marks a significant step forward in the development and deployment of these innovative, sustainable energy solutions.
In conclusion, the investment in Rodatherm Energy Corporation's AGS technology by TDK Ventures signifies a promising future for closed-loop geothermal systems. These systems have the potential to revolutionize the energy sector by providing a sustainable, affordable, and emission-free solution for energy generation.
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