A Startup Says It Has Found a Hidden Source of Geothermal Energy

""When we started this company, I think the most common message we heard was that geothermal was dead-it was a history of bones, a graveyard of so many failures," says Carl Hoiland, a cofounder of Zanskar. "To get to this point where, thanks to these new tools and these new capabilities, you can systematically find these sites and systematically derisk them-we just think this is the first full-scale signal that the tide has turned.""

"In theory, geothermal power is one of the simplest methods of generating renewable energy. Reservoirs of hot water underground, heated by the Earth's core, produce steam that can then be used to power turbines at the surface, requiring no excessive mining or complex conversions of fuel. Geothermal resources are especially accessible in areas where tectonic plates meet and the Earth's crust is thinner, making the western US a great candidate for power plants."

Zanskar uses AI to detect hidden geothermal resources and identified a new commercially viable site in Nevada, claiming the first industry discovery of its kind in decades. The discovery follows years of research to improve detection and reduce exploration risk. Geothermal power leverages underground hot water reservoirs heated by the Earth's core to produce steam that runs turbines at the surface, avoiding major mining or fuel conversions. Geothermal resources are often accessible where tectonic plates meet and the crust is thinner, making the western United States particularly promising. Most high-temperature systems remain deep and lack surface evidence, creating exploration challenges.

Read at WIRED