Company Works with Google to Provide Energy from the Earth’s Heat

Company Works with Google to Provide Energy from the Earth’s Heat

公司与谷歌合作，利用地热提供能源

【原文听力】

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　　By John Russell

　　03 December 2023

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

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

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

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

　　Geothermal partnership

　　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.

　　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.

　　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.

　　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.

　　"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.

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

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

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

　　"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.

　　The path ahead

　　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.

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

　　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.

　　Technologies

　　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.

　　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.

　　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.

　　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.

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

　　I'm John Russell.

　　Jennifer McDermott reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：John Russell

　　日期：2023年12月3日

　　谷歌最近宣布，它已开始使用来自地热项目的无碳电力为内华达州的数据中心供电。

　　Tim Latimer是总部位于德克萨斯州休斯顿的Fervo Energy的首席执行官和联合创始人。他的公司正在与谷歌合作进行地热项目。

　　Latimer表示，从地热资源中获取电网电力是许多新能源公司永远无法达到的目标。

　　他还补充说，他相信地热能源将会比过去更为知名。

　　地热合作

　　国际能源署（IEA）长期以来一直认为地热可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，地热每年可能达到全球电力生产的3.5%。总部位于巴黎的国际组织表示，地热能源每年可以减少近8亿吨的二氧化碳排放。

　　Fervo Energy正在利用这个首次测试来启动其他将为电网提供更多电力的项目。该公司目前正在犹他州西南部完成一个400兆瓦项目的一些工作。

　　谷歌和Fervo Energy从2021年开始合作开发地热电力。位于内华达州Winnemucca附近的电厂现在已经开始运营，并向电网输送了大约3.5兆瓦的电力。那里有三口井。

　　然而，数据中心需要的电力比这更多。因此，谷歌也签署了其他关于太阳能和电力储存的协议。该公司在内华达州有两个电厂，一个在拉斯维加斯附近，另一个在雷诺附近。Michael Terrell在谷歌负责气候工作。他说，该公司正在考虑为全球其他数据中心使用地热能源。

　　他说：“我们真的希望这能成为我们和世界各地的其他人使用更多、更先进的地热电力的跳板。”

　　谷歌在2020年宣布，到2030年，无论在哪里运营，它都将在每天的每个小时使用所谓的“无碳”能源。

　　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使用方面发挥作用。

　　Terrell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规模。

　　他说：“情况非常相似。现在我们已经设定了24/7无碳能源的目标，我们发现这将需要的不仅仅是风能、太阳能和储能。”

　　前方的道路

　　美国在利用地热发电方面领先世界。但美国能源信息管理局表示，地热在美国总电力生产中的比例不到半个百分点。在2022年，这些地热电力来自加利福尼亚、内华达、犹他、夏威夷、俄勒冈、爱达荷和新墨西哥。

　　这些州被认为有地热可能性，因为它们靠近地表有大量的蒸汽或非常热的水。

　　美国能源部长Jennifer Granholm今年早些时候表示，新地热系统的进步将帮助将这种能源形式引入到以前被认为是不可能的地区。

　　技术

　　一些地热公司，包括Fervo，现在正在更深的地下进行开采。这使得在更多地方找到能源成为可能。Latimer是石油和天然气行业的前钻井工程师。

　　在将美国变成顶级石油和天然气生产商和出口商的页岩繁荣期间，钻井技术得到了很大的提高。但是，Fervo的官员Sarah Jewett表示，从石油和天然气行业转向地热的新技术非常少。

　　在10月份，Latimer在麻省理工学院的ClimateTech2023上做了一个演讲。Latimer在会议上讲述了Fervo如何在地热储层中开发水平钻井。通过水平钻井，Fervo可以接触到更多的热储层，而不是直接向下钻许多井。

　　Fervo和谷歌都表示，地热作为一种始终可用的清洁能源技术是非常有价值的。Fervo的下一个项目位于犹他州的Beaver县，计划从2026年开始向电网提供清洁能源，并在2028年达到全产能。

　　"这正在解锁市场上深受追捧的东西...那就是，全天候的可再生能源，"Jewett说。

　　我是John Russell。

　　这个故事是由美联社的Jennifer McDermott报道的。John Russell为VOA学习英语进行了改编。

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　　本文中的词汇

　　geothermal – adj.关于或使用地球内部产生的自然热量

　　grid – n. 为大面积供应电力的设备网络

　　carbon dioxide – n. 燃烧某些燃料时产生的气体

　　emission – n. 发出或释放的东西

　　springboard – n.帮助你开始一个过程的东西

　　shale boom – n. 指的是一系列技术和钻井方法的组合，这些方法大大增加了美国石油和天然气的回收

　　horizontal –adj.从侧面到侧面的位置，而不是从上到下（垂直）

　　reservoir –n. 一个地方，通过设计在这里大量储存某种东西：例如，人造湖是一个水库

　　renewable – adj. 通过自然过程恢复或替换的