Eavor is about to switch on one of the most promising geothermal experiments in the world. (Canary Media)
How it works: Instead of tapping underground hot water or using fracking, Eavor drills deep, connects a network of sealed pipes, and pumps water through them in a loop. The water picks up heat from the surrounding rock and brings it back to the surface to make electricity and heat nearby homes.
Early drilling took over 100 days per lateral, but Eavor’s new insulated drill pipe and refined techniques cut that time by 50% and tripled bit life, sharply reducing costs. Those gains could boost energy output per loop by 35%, putting the system’s economics in line with Europe’s current cost of heat.
Once running, the project will provide 8 MW of power and 64 MW of district heating. If it performs as expected, it could prove that geothermal can be built almost anywhere—a steady, reliable complement to wind and solar.