Using the earth’s heat to power US data centers and homes

Heat from the earth’s core – geothermal energy – could soon be creating clean energy for data centers, at a site near the US Rocky Mountains, with support from ABB technology.

Geothermal energy is set to build on the current 0.3 percent market share of the world’s power supply. Installed geothermal capacity stands at 16.8 GW worldwide currently, but this is expected to reach 28 GW by 2030 and upwards of 110 GW by 2050.¹ The market growth trajectory is expected to attract investments of more than $120 billion between now and 2035.

Under our newly signed agreement with Sage Geosystems, a leading geothermal baseload and energy storage company, we will be able to support Sage’s agreement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to deliver up to 150 MW of geothermal baseload power. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) engages ABB to collaborate on developing energy storage and geothermal power generation facilities that utilize natural heat from the earth’s core to produce clean electricity. 

The first phase of the project is expected to be operational by 2027 and it could become a beacon for the clean energy potential of geothermal sources. In the US alone, it is thought that geothermal energy could capture enough natural heat resources to power more than 65 million homes, with little or no greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Our role in the Sage collaboration will be to investigate how ABB automation, electrification and digital technology can be deployed at geothermal sites around the world, to maximize energy efficiency and reliability.

This may include supplying a distributed control system (DCS), electrical infrastructure architecture, and digital solutions such as asset performance management, process optimization and cybersecurity systems.

Low-carbon electricity from the earth's core

Sage’s proprietary Pressure Geothermal process involves pumping fluid at pressure into a man-made subsurface reservoir. After the stored water is heated to more than 150°C, it can be released back to the surface, leveraging pressure or mechanical energy, to pass through heat exchangers and turbines to generate electricity.

Building on existing geothermal partnerships

Our latest agreement extends ABB’s already significant involvement in the US geothermal sector.

We have partnered with Ormat Technologies for more than ten years to provide generators for major geothermal plants in the US. Efficient and sustainably manufactured generators are a harmonious match with clean, renewable geothermal power production.

Powering Los Angeles

One of Ormat’s most significant recent projects using ABB generators has been the McGinness Hills geothermal complex in Nevada. It consists of three power plants with a total generating capacity of around 146 MW, making it the fourth-largest geothermal complex in the United States. Power from McGinness Hills is supplied to users in Nevada and Southern California, including the city of Los Angeles.

The geothermal energy transformation

“We are in the middle of a transformation,” says Dr. Jefferson W. Tester, Professor of sustainable energy systems in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University and principal scientist for Cornell’s Earth Source Heat project.

“At this point, the general public does not fully appreciate the potential of geothermal energy. Accessing and utilizing deep geothermal energy is not that complicated a process. The technology needed to reach geothermal resources with useful stored energy is currently readily available.”

Geothermal energy is poised for rapid expansion and ABB’s advanced automation, electrification, and digital solutions aim to maximize efficiency and reliability in geothermal power generation.

As the global demand for clean energy grows, our partnerships with companies like Sage Geosystems and Ormat technologies will play a crucial role in shaping the future of low-carbon electricity and help these companies outperform.

Sources:

1. Geothermal market teed up for accelerated growth in coming years

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