# This Company Just UNLOCKED Geothermal Energy WORLDWIDE! Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4gLxHTqdX4 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/j4gLxHTqdX4 Generated: 2025-07-17T06:31:31.41+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Sage Geos Systems has developed "pressure geothermal" technology, which unlocks geothermal energy across 50-60% of the Earth's surface by drilling into hot dry rock and using gravity fracking, offering a 24/7 clean energy source and large-scale energy storage solution. **Key Points:** - Sage Geos Systems' "pressure geothermal" technology enables access to geothermal energy in 50-60% of the Earth's surface, a significant increase from the traditional 2% accessible areas. - Their method involves drilling into hot dry rock and employing "gravity fracking" with only water and crushed rock to create a single large fracture network, avoiding the chemical-laden processes associated with traditional fracking. - A single multi-well pad can produce a constant 50 megawatts, enough to power 35,000 homes, with a target cost of 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. - Sage reinvented the turbine, utilizing a supercritical CO2 turbine that is 3D printed and uses a different thermodynamic cycle to generate more electricity per unit of heat. - The technology also functions as a large-scale energy storage solution, "Earth Store," capable of storing energy for 2 to 18 hours at a cost of approximately 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, using only water and steel. - Concerns about induced earthquakes are addressed by avoiding natural fractures, resulting in a "very low risk," and the process has near-zero emissions. - The Earth's core will not cool down from widespread geothermal use; even powering the entire civilization would increase the Earth's natural cooling rate by less than 8%. **Context:** For a century, geothermal energy, despite its immense potential to power global civilization for over 15,000 years from just the top 20,000 feet of the Earth's crust, has been limited to specific "hot spots" like Iceland or California, accessible in only about 2% of the world's surface. This limitation stems from the need for a "unicorn geology" – a rare combination of heat, water, and permeable rock – coupled with immense drilling costs, preventing it from becoming a widespread 24/7 clean energy source like wind and solar. ## Detailed Analysis Geothermal energy, an almost limitless power source capable of supplying global civilization for over 15,000 years from the Earth's crust, has historically been constrained to rare "hot spots" covering only 2% of the planet due to specific geological requirements and high drilling costs. However, Sage Geos Systems introduces "pressure geothermal," a revolutionary approach that could unlock this energy across 50-60% of the Earth's surface. Unlike traditional methods, Sage, leveraging expertise from the oil and gas industry, drills into hot dry rock, which is abundant globally. They employ "gravity fracking," a process using only water and crushed rock to create a single, large fracture network, avoiding chemicals and minimizing environmental impact, including a "very low risk" of inducing earthquakes by avoiding natural fractures. This technology allows for the re-entry of abandoned oil and gas wells, saving up to 25% on project costs, or the use of multi-well pads for utility-scale projects, where a single pad can produce a constant 50 megawatts, sufficient for 35,000 homes, at a target cost of 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Sage also innovated a 3D-printed supercritical CO2 turbine, which is more efficient than standard designs. Crucially, their system doubles as a large-scale mechanical energy storage solution called "Earth Store," using excess renewable energy to pump water into deep fractures, storing pressure for 2 to 18 hours at an unbeatable cost of 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, requiring only water and steel. The video dismisses concerns about cooling the Earth's core, stating that even powering the entire world with geothermal would increase the planet's natural heat loss by less than 8%. While challenges like funding, grid connections, and supply chain issues remain, Sage's technology offers a 24/7, controllable clean energy source that can utilize existing oil and gas industry infrastructure and skills, potentially supplying nearly 80% of the world's electricity by 2050 and addressing the surging demand from AI data centers. ### The Geothermal Problem & Potential - Limited Access: Geothermal energy holds over 2,000 zeta of thermal energy in the top 20,000 feet of Earth's crust, enough to power global civilization for over 15,000 years - Despite being a 24/7 clean energy source, traditional geothermal is limited to 2% of Earth's surface due to "unicorn geology" requiring specific heat, water, and permeable rock combinations - High drilling costs have kept geothermal from widespread adoption, accounting for less than half a percent of US electricity generation ### Sage Geos Systems' Innovative Approach - Pressure Geothermal: Sage Geos Systems, leveraging oil and gas drilling expertise, unlocks geothermal across 50-60% of Earth's surface by targeting hot dry rock - They use "gravity fracking" with only water and crushed rock to create a single large fracture network, avoiding chemicals - The system can re-enter abandoned oil/gas wells for smaller projects or use multi-well pads for utility scale, drilling 18 to 20 wells from one location ### Technology & Output - Reinvented Power Generation: Sage circulates fluid down one well, through hot fractures, and up an adjacent one, managing heat and pressure for constant output - A single pad targets 50 megawatts, enough for 35,000 homes, at 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour - They developed a 3D-printed, 7-inch supercritical CO2 turbine that uses a different thermodynamic cycle for greater electricity per unit heat ### Game-Changing Energy Storage - Earth Store: Sage's wells can also store energy by pumping water into deep fractures using cheap excess electricity, holding it under pressure - This mechanical energy storage, "Earth Store," offers 2 to 18 hours of runtime compared to 0.5-4 hours for lithium-ion - It costs around 4 cents per kilowatt-hour and requires only water and steel ### Environmental Impact & Safety - Addressing Concerns: Gravity fracking avoids natural fractures, resulting in a "very low risk" of inducing earthquakes - Power generation has "near zero emissions" as it does not burn hydrocarbons - Widespread geothermal use will not cool the Earth's core; even powering the entire world would increase natural heat loss by less than 8% ### Future Outlook & Industry Transformation - Global Potential: Challenges include funding, grid connections, and supply chain for specialized hardware - The technology offers a 24/7 power source buildable almost anywhere, utilizing existing oil and gas industry skills and equipment - Cindy from Sage suggests that if the oil and gas industry pivoted to geothermal, it could supply nearly 80% of global electricity by 2050, reaching utility scale in 5 to 10 years by reducing costs ### Strategic Advantages - Controllability & AI Demand: Geothermal provides controllability similar to fossil fuels, allowing energy generation to be dialed up or down, which is crucial for grid operators - This addresses the intermittency of wind and solar, which require supplementary battery supplies - Geothermal is vital for meeting the skyrocketing electricity demand from AI data centers and other 24/7 operations