Geothermal “Radiator” Online Soon

FOAK. First Of A Kind.

Now Deeper. Hotter. Cheaper.
Look for Geothermal, with tech like this, to be a wildcard dark horse in the ongoing transition.
I like the Eavor system, which, once in place, offers a thermodynamically stable closed loop that just keeps delivering heat from depth. The more well known competitor, Fervo, has a system that relies on fracturing rocks, which seems to work, but just feels less elegant to me.

Think GeoEnergy:

Eavor Technologies Inc. expects its closed-loop geothermal pilot plant in Geretsried, southern Germany, to begin operations before the end of the year, subject to commissioning progress and regulatory approvals. Initially, as we reported in early 2025, initial plans were to launch it in the first half of 2025.

Two articles shared recently, provide a little bit more detail on the project and development, that we thought are worth sharing.

First loop nearing completion

The project comprises four planned subsurface loops. For the first loop, Eavor drilled two vertical wells to about 4.5 kilometres, supported by horizontal multilateral branches extending roughly 2.9 kilometres each. According to company statements, the drilling phase for this initial loop is close to completion, and surface facilities are being prepared for circulation tests.

Eavor reports that drilling times for the horizontal sections improved over the course of the campaign, with laterals completed in roughly half the time required for earlier wells. The company states that this could increase projected heat-extraction rates for each loop.

Planned output and operating targets

Once fully commissioned, the Geretsried facility is designed to supply 8.2 MWe and up to 64 MW thermal for the local district-heating network. Eavor maintains the goal of initiating first production before year-end, though this remains dependent on system testing and field performance. The company also plans start on drilling the second loop in March of 2026.

Wall Street Journal:

A traditional geothermal project requires drilling down into an aquifer and drawing up hot water or steam to generate power or heat. But the Canadian company’s closed-loop technology works by sending water straight down a drilled well, which then branches out into a dozen horizontal wells. 

Eavor CEO Mark Fitzgerald explains that the surrounding temperatures deep underground heat the water before it returns to the surface via a separate vertical well in a process that works like a “big radiator.” The heat is then harvested in a plant on the surface before the same water is sent back down the first well, according to Fitzgerald, who spent 36 years in oil and gas before turning to geothermal.

The Geretsried loop was created by drilling down about three miles, then drilling about six lateral channels—each about two miles long that wrap around into a loop. Additional loops are planned at the Geretsried site, creating more “radiators” deep underground.

“Think of a fork that has six tines on it from one vertical well ” Fitzgerald said.

One standout benefit of the technology is that it doesn’t use a lot of resources, he said. The project doesn’t need to find a continuous source of new water, and as hot water naturally rises up the well, the entire system pumps itself.

“We don’t have to source fresh water in our operations, we don’t have mechanical pumping systems that require energy to produce energy, and we don’t emit significant greenhouse gas emissions,” Fitzgerald said.

Geothermal is at a turning point in the U.S., as one of the few renewables to escape cuts as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The industry has bipartisan support and President Trump has backed the energy source.

The Energy Department says on its website that geothermal “holds the potential to power more than 65 million American homes and businesses, and is the next frontier for renewable energy deployment.” Geothermal projects are set to expand in the Southwest where Republican lawmakers are pushing to speed up permitting for a series of sites on federal land.

The tech industry is also looking at geothermal to help power artificial intelligence: Google and Meta have signed geothermal deals to fuel their mounting data-center energy demands.