Latest news with #CarlosAraque
CNBC
15 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Superhot geothermal energy could unearth big power boost for the AI era
Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years, powering heating systems as early as the 14th century. It's getting a big upgrade. Beyond geothermal, there's superhot geothermal, which uses ultra-deep drilling to access extremely hot rocks, extracting 5 to 10 times more power per well. Quaise Energy, a Massachusetts-based startup, is in the market developing the technology, which involves an electromagnetic beam that vaporizes rock. The company's systems are able to reach superhot geothermal energy up to 12 miles below the service of the earth. Temperatures that deep can reach 500 degrees Celsius, or over 930 degrees Fahrenheit. "To access the resource at a scale that actually matters, we have to drill hotter first and deeper second," said Carlos Araque, CEO of Quaise. "The oil industry routinely drills to depths of 2 to 3 miles, and maybe no more than 150 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. We need to double or triple that to actually start to get the right resource." Quaise's technology was invented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007. The company is working to scale it for commercial use, and demonstrated its technology with oil and gas company Nabors Industries in June. While the drilling itself is costlier, the energy output is so much higher that it's ultimately a cost savings for the heat. "We intend to build the first in the world superhot, or super critical geothermal power plant, to show exactly that 10X output that you get by going hotter," Araque said. Quaise plans to pilot the plant near Bend, Oregon, and hopes to have it ready by 2028. Nabors sees it as a very timely play. "The potential of the market, the size of the market, the fact that today's world with data centers, with AI, with the electrification of everything, we require so much power, kind of at all times," said Guillermo Sierra, vice president, energy transition at Nabors. Nabors is also an investor in Quaise. Other backers include Prelude Ventures, Engine Ventures, Safar Partners, Mitsubishi and Collab Fund. The company has raised a total of $103 million. Sierra said the technology could also help repurpose a significant portion of the labor force that's working in oil and gas. At a geothermal event in Washington, D.C., in March, Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright showed strong support for geothermal energy. He said it could help with the growth of artificial intelligence and manufacturing and lower prices for electricity. Wright also noted that President Donald Trump specifically mentioned geothermal, along with nuclear and hydropower, in his National Energy Emergency executive order. The recently passed tax and spending bill kept funding for geothermal, originally part of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, while cutting money for other forms of renewable energy.
Business Wire
22-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Quaise Energy Achieves Drilling Milestone with Millimeter Wave Technology
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quaise Energy, a leading developer of grid-scale superhot geothermal energy, today announced it has successfully drilled to a depth of 100 meters using its proprietary millimeter wave technology at its field site in Central Texas. This achievement sets a record for millimeter wave drilling and marks a major step forward in unlocking the Earth's vast geothermal energy as a scalable, baseload energy source. Quaise's millimeter wave drilling system, developed after more than a decade of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), harnesses a powerful gyrotron to ablate rock for the first time without any downhole hardware. Unlike conventional drill bits, which struggle with hard, hot, rocks like granite and basalt, millimeter wave technology allows access to superhot rock—around 752 degrees Fahrenheit (400℃)—typically found deep within the Earth's subsurface. Accessing hotter rock deeper underground enables Quaise geothermal plants to generate many times more energy than traditional geothermal – opening up grid-scale projects that can match the power output of major fossil fuel plants. 'The Earth holds an enormous reservoir of clean energy — energy that could fundamentally change how we power our world if we can reach it,' said Carlos Araque, CEO and President of Quaise Energy. 'Quaise has now demonstrated that millimeter wave technology can do what no other technology can do: drill perfectly clean holes through some of the hardest rocks on Earth in record time. This milestone brings us closer to making geothermal energy a practical solution to power communities virtually anywhere.' Prior to 2025, millimeter wave drilling had only been demonstrated in the laboratory, with MIT's early system drilling a hole just a few centimeters deep. While 100 meters is only a fraction of the commercial depth needed for the company's first power plants, the granite drilled during the field test is the same type of hard rock that blankets the basement layer of the Earth's crust. Drilling efficiently through the basement layer is the only way to unlock superhot geothermal worldwide. The company plans to build on this achievement with an upcoming gyrotron using 10x more power. Quaise further expects to complete a pilot power plant in the Western U.S. as early as 2028. 'Our progress this year has exceeded all expectations,' added Araque. 'We're drilling faster and deeper at this point than anyone believed possible, proving that millimeter wave technology is the only tool capable of reaching the superhot rock needed for next-generation geothermal power. We are opening up a path to a new energy frontier.' About Quaise Energy Quaise Energy is unlocking the Earth's deep heat to deliver clean, reliable, always-on energy at scale – almost anywhere in the world. As both a technology innovator and project developer, Quaise builds and operates solutions that harness superhot geothermal energy far below the surface, enabling power generation that can rival the output of today's most efficient fossil fuel and nuclear plants. Founded at MIT, Quaise's mission is to make superhot geothermal a backbone of the modern energy system, offering affordable, zero-carbon power and true energy independence for communities and nations everywhere.
National Post
22-07-2025
- Science
- National Post
Quaise Energy Achieves Drilling Milestone with Millimeter Wave Technology
Article content Article content HOUSTON — Quaise Energy, a leading developer of grid-scale superhot geothermal energy, today announced it has successfully drilled to a depth of 100 meters using its proprietary millimeter wave technology at its field site in Central Texas. This achievement sets a record for millimeter wave drilling and marks a major step forward in unlocking the Earth's vast geothermal energy as a scalable, baseload energy source. Article content Quaise's millimeter wave drilling system, developed after more than a decade of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), harnesses a powerful gyrotron to ablate rock for the first time without any downhole hardware. Unlike conventional drill bits, which struggle with hard, hot, rocks like granite and basalt, millimeter wave technology allows access to superhot rock—around 752 degrees Fahrenheit (400℃)—typically found deep within the Earth's subsurface. Article content Accessing hotter rock deeper underground enables Quaise geothermal plants to generate many times more energy than traditional geothermal – opening up grid-scale projects that can match the power output of major fossil fuel plants. Article content 'The Earth holds an enormous reservoir of clean energy — energy that could fundamentally change how we power our world if we can reach it,' said Carlos Araque, CEO and President of Quaise Energy. 'Quaise has now demonstrated that millimeter wave technology can do what no other technology can do: drill perfectly clean holes through some of the hardest rocks on Earth in record time. This milestone brings us closer to making geothermal energy a practical solution to power communities virtually anywhere.' Article content Prior to 2025, millimeter wave drilling had only been demonstrated in the laboratory, with MIT's early system drilling a hole just a few centimeters deep. While 100 meters is only a fraction of the commercial depth needed for the company's first power plants, the granite drilled during the field test is the same type of hard rock that blankets the basement layer of the Earth's crust. Drilling efficiently through the basement layer is the only way to unlock superhot geothermal worldwide. Article content The company plans to build on this achievement with an upcoming gyrotron using 10x more power. Quaise further expects to complete a pilot power plant in the Western U.S. as early as 2028. Article content 'Our progress this year has exceeded all expectations,' added Araque. 'We're drilling faster and deeper at this point than anyone believed possible, proving that millimeter wave technology is the only tool capable of reaching the superhot rock needed for next-generation geothermal power. We are opening up a path to a new energy frontier.' Article content About Quaise Energy Article content Quaise Energy is unlocking the Earth's deep heat to deliver clean, reliable, always-on energy at scale – almost anywhere in the world. As both a technology innovator and project developer, Quaise builds and operates solutions that harness superhot geothermal energy far below the surface, enabling power generation that can rival the output of today's most efficient fossil fuel and nuclear plants. Founded at MIT, Quaise's mission is to make superhot geothermal a backbone of the modern energy system, offering affordable, zero-carbon power and true energy independence for communities and nations everywhere. Article content X Article content | Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Article content Article content Diane Hughes Article content Article content
