據鉆井地帶7月19日報道，位于休斯敦總部的地熱初創公司Fervo Energy在周二的新聞發布會中表示，他們已成功完成一項井測試，以確認利用石油和天然氣鉆探技術進行地熱能開發的商業可行性。

根據該發布的新聞，為期30天的井測試是地熱能行業的標準做法，并且在高溫條件下取得了每秒63升的流量，使得該系統能夠產生3.5兆瓦的電力，這不僅刷新了增強型地熱系統的流量和功率輸出新高，還是首次在地熱能開發領域實現了利用油氣鉆探技術取得如此成果。此次測試是在Fervo Energy在內華達北部進行的名為“紅色項目”的全方位商業試點中完成的。

Fervo首席執行官Tim Latimer表示：“通過應用來自石油和天然氣行業的鉆井技術，我們已證明可以在全球新的地理位置生產7天24小時的全天候零碳能源資源。”他還說：“我們今天分享的令人難以置信的結果是Fervo員工和行業合作伙伴，特別是Google多年來專注工作和承諾的成果。”

根據新聞發布會所言，Fervo和Google在2021年簽署了全球首份企業協議，旨在開發下一代地熱能源，目標是為Google在拉斯維加斯的云服務區提供全天候零碳資源，以減少公司對化石燃料的時間依賴。

Fervo表示，“我們是首家成功鉆探商業地熱產能水平井的公司，實現了3250英尺的橫向長度，達到191攝氏度的溫度，并通過嚴格的示蹤試驗證明了可控流量，同時在項目完成過程中沒有發生任何事故”。

Fervo表示，通過試點過程中收集的數據將“推動地熱能的快速部署”。公司計劃下一口水平井的功率輸出將超過試點設計的兩倍。

Google能源與氣候高級總監Michael Terrell表示：“實現我們全天候使用零碳能源的目標需要新的穩定清潔電源來補充風能和太陽能等間歇性可再生能源。”他還說：“我們于2021年與Fervo合作，因為我們看到他們的地熱技術在大規模解鎖關鍵的全時零碳能源方面具有重要潛力，我們對Fervo達到這一重要技術里程碑感到非常高興。”

Fervo表示，試點結果支持美國能源部（DOE）的增強型地熱Earthshot計劃的發現。增強型地熱Earthshot計劃旨在通過將其成本降低90%，到2035年將地熱能價格降至每兆瓦時445美元。Fervo補充說，地熱能可為美國提供超過20%的電力需求，并與風能和太陽能相輔相成，實現完全脫碳的電網。

普林斯頓大學的助理教授兼“零碳能源系統研究與優化（ZERO）實驗室”負責人Jesse Jenkins在新聞發布會中表示：“電力系統建模證實地熱能可以在完全脫碳的電網中發揮重要作用。Fervo成功的商業試點將把下一代地熱技術從理論應用轉化為實際應用，為開發地熱的全部潛力奠定基礎。”

同樣，德文能源也是Fervo的投資者，早在今年4月就已投資了1000萬美元。2021年，Fervo是美國能源部（DOE）選定的17個項目之一，共獲得4600萬美元的資金支持，符合其在猶他大學進行的地熱能研究前沿觀測計劃。

胡耀東 譯自 鉆井地帶

原文如下：

Fervo Reaches Milestone Using Oil Drilling Tech for Geothermal

Houston-based geothermal startup Fervo Energy has successfully completed a well test to confirm the commercial viability of using oil and gas drilling technology for geothermal energy, the company said in a news release Tuesday.

The 30-day well test, a standard for geothermal, achieved a flow rate of 63 liters per second at high temperature that enables 3.5 megawatts (MW) of electric production, setting new records for both flow and power output from an enhanced geothermal system, according to the release. The test was done at Fervo Energy’s full-scale commercial pilot, dubbed Project Red, in northern Nevada.

“By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce 24/7 carbon-free energy resources in new geographies across the world”, Fervo CEO Tim Latimer said. “The incredible results we share today are the product of many years of dedicated work and commitment from Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google.”

According to the news release, Fervo and Google signed the world’s first corporate agreement to develop next-generation geothermal power in 2021, aiming to power Google’s Cloud region in Las Vegas with an “always-on”, carbon-free resource that will reduce the company’s hourly reliance on fossil fuels.

Fervo said it is the first company to successfully drill a horizontal well pair for commercial geothermal production, achieving lateral lengths of 3,250 feet, reaching a temperature of 191 degrees Celsius, and “proving controlled flow through rigorous tracer testing”, while completing the project without any incidents.

The data collected through the course of the pilot will “enable rapid advancement in geothermal deployment”, Fervo said. The company plans for its next horizontal well to reach more than double the power output of the pilot design.

“Achieving our goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy will require new sources of firm, clean power to complement variable renewables like wind and solar,” Google Senior Director for Energy and Climate Michael Terrell said. “We partnered with Fervo in 2021 because we see significant potential for their geothermal technology to unlock a critical source of 24/7 carbon-free energy at scale, and we are thrilled to see Fervo reach this important technical milestone.”

The pilot results support the findings of the USA Department of Energy’s (DOE) Enhanced Geothermal Earthshot, Fervo said. The Enhanced Geothermal Earthshot initiative aims to bring enhanced geothermal systems to the country by reducing its cost by 90 percent to 445 per megawatt-hour by 2035. Fervo added that geothermal energy could supply over 20 percent of USA power needs and complement wind and solar to reach a fully decarbonized grid.

“Power systems modeling confirms that geothermal can be a critical player in a fully decarbonized grid. Fervo’s successful commercial pilot takes next-generation geothermal technology from the realm of models into the real world and starts us on a path to unlock geothermal’s full potential”, Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor and leader of zero-carbon Energy systems Research and Optimization (ZERO) lab at Princeton University, said in the news release.

Devon Energy is also an investor in Fervo, having invested $10 million earlier in April. In 2021, Fervo was one of the 17 projects selected by the DOE to receive a cumulative $46 million in funding, in line with its Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy Initiative at the University of Utah.