ABB and Sage Geosystems partner for developing geothermal power system for Meta

ABB and Sage Geosystems are partnering to develop Geopressured Geothermal Systems that can generate up to 150 MW of geothermal baseload power for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

The low carbon energy storage and geothermal power generation system, to be located at a location east of the Rocky Mountains in the US, will support data centre operations of Meta.

As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two companies, ABB and Sage will collaborate on developing energy storage and geothermal power generation facilities that utilise natural heat from the earth’s core to produce clean electricity.

The MoU mandates ABB to identify the right automation, electrification and digital technology that can be deployed to maximise energy efficiency and reliability. It may include supplying a distributed control system (DCS), electrical infrastructure architecture, and digital solutions for performance management, process optimisation and cybersecurity systems. 

Geothermal energy has the potential to be an important contributor to the future energy mix, as geothermal systems produce little or no greenhouse gases. The GGS process involves pumping fluid at high pressure into a man-made subsurface reservoir. After the stored water gets heated to more than 150°C, it is released back to the surface, leveraging pressure or mechanical energy, to pass through heat exchangers and turbines to generate electricity. 

As per the latest assessment of geothermal energy potential in the United States, released by the US Department of Energy (DoE) last week, geothermal energy has the potential to capture enough natural heat resources to power more than 65 million homes in the US.

A study by DoE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found that the goal of significantly expanding EGS deployment by cutting costs 90 per cent to $45 per megawatt-hour by 2035, though ambitious, is achievable.