Meta has presented a deal to meet the growing electricity demand required by data centers. They claim it will provide carbon-free energy.
Aim , the company that owns Facebook , announced that it has reached an agreement to work on a new project energy geothermal .
The alliance took place with an emerging company called Sage Geosystems and plans to develop up to 150 megawatts which will be used to power their data centers which include Instagram And WhatsApp .
To get an idea, this figure This is enough electricity to power about 70,000 homes. approximately.
The deal by the tech giant founded by Mark Zuckerberg comes amid a scenario in which energy demand gradually increases . Partly because of industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) server farms.
This boom is coming at the same time commitments to reduce emissions and contribute to the care of environment .
As reported by Meta, “Sage’s patented geopressurized geothermal system (GGS) will be used to provide carbon-free energy for the data centers” they own.
They also assured that the company’s technological “brand” a significant step forward for the clean energy sector, demonstrating the ability to harness geothermal energy virtually anywhere and promising a new era of reliable, sustainable baseload power and greater grid stability.
It is assumed that The first phase of the project will be operational in 2027 while Sage has already drilled a test well in South Texas (USA) to demonstrate its approach.
The goal of the company allied with Meta is now in build its first large-scale power plant in a location yet to be determined, but which will be east of the Rocky Mountains.
How the new type of geothermal energy that will occupy Facebook works
Information retrieved by the New York Times they detail this Sage plans to position its systems deep below the surface and pump water from there. .
This way, The underground heat and pressure should heat the water to the point where it can be used to generate electricity. in a turbine.
Generally speaking, the most relevant point of this mechanism is that would not produce greenhouse gases which accentuate global warming.
Sage CEO Cindy Taff told the American newspaper that “It’s basically the same hydraulic fracturing technology,” but with the difference that “we’re looking for clean heat.” instead of hydrocarbons (such as oil and gas).
For her part, Meta’s director of renewable energies, Urvi Parekh, assured that The company sought to express in advance its plans to acquire electricity from Sage so that they can raise more funds and prepare the equipment needed for these operations.
“It is extremely valuable for us to make this commitment today. “In this way, they will be able to take the necessary measures to carry out this project that we want to see in the electricity networks,” he stressed.
In a release released by the company on August 26, they stated that “this is based on our work towards a zero carbon economy with solutions that create a healthier planet for all.
“To this day, Meta has contracted more than 12,000 MW (megawatts) in renewable energy projects making us one of the largest corporate buyers of this product in the world.
But the owner of Facebook It’s not the only company in the tech world It is betting on geothermal energy.
Among the big names in technology, There’s also Google, which has partnered with a company in that region called Fervo Energy to build a 5-megawatt pilot plant in Nevada. UNITED STATES.
It has already started to supply its network with electricity, while has signed an agreement to deploy more geothermal energy in their data centers in the coming years .
Added to this is that Fervo Energy is building a 400-megawatt power plant in Utah that will sell electricity to utilities. from Southern California, according to the aforementioned media.
They hope that this project will be operational in 2026 .
Efforts by companies like Meta and Google to power their systems while reducing emissions are part of a context in which more and more energy is needed .
Much of the latter is due to industries such as generative AI which has distinguished itself by its accelerated progress in recent years.
A study of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) published in mid-2024 ensures that Data centers could consume up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030 more than double the amount currently used.
“AI queries require about ten times more electricity than traditional internet searches while generating original music, photos and videos requires much more. With 5.3 billion Internet users, the rapid adoption of these new tools could significantly increase energy demand,” they warn in the document.
In addition, Data centers typically require 24-hour power It is therefore essential that sources aligned with environmental objectives are taken into account.
Michelle Solomon, an analyst at the nonprofit Energy Innovation, told the Times that “We’re going to need all the tools” .
“In the short term, geothermal energy will be strengthened could play a relatively modest role, but I am very optimistic about the future technology,” he added.
Earlier in March, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said that ““Geothermal energy has enormous potential” .
From the ministry he represents, it is estimated that This type of energy could provide 90,000 megawatts of electrical capacity by 2050 if technologies continue to improve in this direction.
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
