With his ingenious idea, Quaise Energy, an American company specializing in the field of energy, intends to revolutionize the way you heat yourself. For the company, the energy source it bets on would be “the only renewable solution with the potential to get us to net zero emissions by 2050. It is renewable, inexhaustible and available everywhere.”
Energy supplied by the ground
According to a study by Ademe, digging a hole 10 to 200 meters deep under the surface of the Earth, near Paris, could answer the hot water and heating needs of all the inhabitants of the capital. It is from this observation that several MIT alumni started, with their geothermal energy expert company.
The startup proposes to dig here and there holes up to 20 km deep. And the project already seems to be attractive. The company succeeded in raise more than $63 million in funds, since the launch of the project in 2020. Its goal would then be to exploit the heat retained underground to make it a renewable and almost unlimited source of energy.
Geothermal energy is a relatively unknown source of energy, which nevertheless has many advantages. This one would be available in many parts of the world, as in France for example. The exploitation of geothermal energy would also take up less space than that of solar or wind power, and would allow supply energy to an area permanently.
An ecological solution
To carry out its mission, the company would like to use a drilling system called “gyrotron”, which would be able to melt rock and therefore allow digging deeper into the solid layers that line the depths of the Earth. This drilling system is based on a technological solution developed a few years ago, but still little democratized. The device would create holes of a depth never reached before.
A hole dug 20 km deep would make it possible to reach a temperature of 500 degrees. The heat would power an area for at least a century, and icing on the cake, it would only take a few months to proceed with the drilling with the necessary means.
The solution appears as an excellent alternative to fossil fuels. The company would also consider using the heat from the cavities to “repower traditional power stations”. Please let us know what you think in the comments. And if you like articles dealing with science, find out how Stephen Hawkins’ famous paradox has just been solved.
