Google wants to drill Earth

Google, which is one of the world's largest consumers of electricity, showed itself in an interesting role. More recently, it has become the de facto largest US investor in geothermal energy research.

Geothermal energy involves the production of electricity from steam from superheated water, which is underground, close to the hot layers of the crust. Theoretically, anywhere on Earth, you can drill a well three to five kilometers deep - and from it immediately a powerful steam jet will fall, directly onto which steam turbines can be installed. It remains only to make a tank there and pour water on top of this eternally hot "pan". The problem is that in practice the exploitation of heated underground rocks has not yet been started, although such attempts are being made in the USA, Japan, Australia and Europe. Successful projects so far succeed only in the forces of nature, as we see in the example of geysers and volcanoes.

A division of Google.org transferred about $ 11 million to geothermal research, including $ 6.25 million invested in AltaRock Energy and $ 4 million in the Potter Drilling company. Half a million more were allocated to cartographers to compile a more accurate map of geothermal energy sources (these maps have not been updated in the USA since 1974).