For next-gen geothermal to scale, drilling costs must drop. Startup Hephae says its novel tech can make that happen — and developers like Fervo are giving it a try.
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Jesus Arriaga, operations manager for Hephae Energy Technology, opens a toolbox at Fervo Energy’s geothermal site in Utah. (Hephae Energy Technology)
Thousands of feet beneath the desert valley of southwest Utah, a slender tool tucked inside a drill pipe is barreling through hot granite. The rod-shaped device, built by the startup Hephae Energy Technology, is a tracker of sorts, wirelessly sending data to help operators above steer the drill below and to measure rock conditions.
The work is underway at Fervo Energy’s Cape Station, the largest project in the nation using nascent techniques to tap earth’s heat for clean energy. The 500-megawatt endeavor could usher in an era of next-generation geothermal development — but only if the industry can bring down drilling costs.
