For the second time, Google is investing in geothermal energy to expand its renewable energy portfolio. As data center needs explode for tech companies running their own artificial intelligence models, geothermal energy is now emerging as an interesting alternative solution, particularly in the United States and Taiwan.
On the island located West of the Pacific Ring of Fire, tapping into the energy produced at the center of the Earth is more accessible, and by 2050, the island expects to be able to build a renewable energy source there to the tune of 6 gigawatts, the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 2 to 3 million homes at the same time, or the electricity production of 12,000 wind turbines of 500 kW each.
In the United States, where Google has also invested in geothermal energy to power its data centers, with a projected capacity of 90 gigawatts of "constant" clean energy by 2050. The first American geothermal power plant was installed in Nevada in November 2024. A project reminiscent of Microsoft's, which invested in 2020 with the same partner as Google, Fervo Energy, for a geothermal energy purchase agreement (Google began financing Fervo Energy's geothermal project in Nevada in 2021).
One of the great advantages of geothermal energy is its "constant" production, unlike wind or solar. This is what Google highlighted in a video published last year.
Financing, together
Google and Microsoft joined forces a year ago to jointly finance energy projects in the start-up phase. In addition to geothermal energy, the two big tech companies are looking into nuclear power plants, clean hydrogen, and long-term energy storage.
For Taiwan, Google has signed with the Swedish company Baseload Capital, which specializes in financing and developing geothermal projects. Based in Stockholm, it will work in Taiwan through a local subsidiary, which is said to have mapped and analyzed the island to identify its most suitable areas for geothermal energy, since 2019, reports Tech Crunch.
Source: Tech Crunch
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