Disruptive Innovation in the Energy Sector

While government leadership may be key to identify and direct research money toward strategic goals, it seems commercial entities take off and over once the circumstances are ready. A recent example is SpaceX commercial success in cutting cost for space exploration after decades of leadership by NASA. Another example is Fervo Energy’s lead in commercialization of geothermal energy, where U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided research oversight and funding for decades. The geothermal industry learned from shale frac'rs' focus on the creation of surface area in the inverse radiator we need to produce hydrocarbons in ultra-tight reservoirs. The modern geothermal methodology is to drill horizontals and complete them in multiple stages with similar ingredients and frac recipes as shale formations. This has resulted in a leap in electricity generation from modern geothermal. Just last month, Fervo released breakthrough results with a 1-month flow test where a horizontal producer well generated an average of about 10 MW: https://lnkd.in/gUVnqAjj For comparison, the most prolific geothermal project in the United States are the Geysers north of San Francisco (https://lnkd.in/gjhhYj5A), where an average (vertical) producer well generates about 2 MW. Of course, challenges remain. One technical challenge is to obtain distributed flow to all perforated intervals in injectors to achieve a temperature front that slowly walks out from injector to producer well over the lifetime of a project. Could this be disrupted by parasitic flow through conductive fractures that steal most of the flow and cause disproportionate cooling in some areas while not mining the heat elsewhere? While the published flow test did not show any temperature drop, my expectation is that we will learn a lot about reservoir flow, shortcuts and patching technologies for wellbores to close these parasitic flow paths over the lifetime of a geothermal project. This in turn will bounce back innovations to the oil & gas industry and will provide an opportunity to learn more about effective secondary oil recovery in shale wells. #geothermal #shalerevolution #oilgas #energy #renewables #innovation

What if your thermostat could help prevent the next blackout? A breakthrough approach to managing electricity is turning our homes into an invisible safety net for America's stressed power grid... First, some context: Our electrical grid was built in an era when power flowed one way—from large plants to our homes. But today, with solar panels on roofs, batteries in garages, and smart devices everywhere, homes can both consume and produce power. This creates an opportunity that could transform how we keep the lights on. Here's why this matters now: 1. The Growing Challenge - America needs 128 gigawatts of new power by 2029 - That's like building 60 large power plants - Traditional solutions take 5+ years to build - Climate change making grid more vulnerable 2. The Hidden Resource - Millions of homes have smart thermostats - Electric vehicles can store massive power - Home batteries becoming common - Each device can adjust power use instantly 3. The Breakthrough Solution - New software connects these devices together - Thousands of homes act as one virtual power plant - Automatically reduces strain during peak times - Pays homeowners for participating Here's what makes this exciting: Instead of spending $35 billion on new power plants we rarely use, we could tap into the power-shifting potential that already exists in our homes. It's like having a backup power plant that's invisible, clean, and pays you to be part of it. Question for energy innovators: How do we make joining a virtual power plant as simple as installing a smart thermostat? What would convince you to participate? #EnergyInnovation #GridResilience #CleanTech #FutureOfEnergy

The Energy Capital of The World is also the Energy Transition Capital. Another big breakthrough from a Houston Clean Tech Startup: Under the leadership of Cindy D. Taff, Sage Geosystems Inc. was selected to build a geothermal project to power Meta centers. Houston understands subsurface and fracking—geothermal leverages oil and gas expertise to use fractures for fluid injection. Sage Geosystems harnesses both heat and pressure to optimize energy extraction. Another Houston-based geothermal startup Fervo Energy partnered with Google to launch a 3.5-megawatt geothermal project powering Google's data centers in Nevada last year and is now working on a 115-megawatt project in the same state. Why are tech companies driving these projects? Because data centers are set to surpass traditional polluters when it comes to GHG emissions. For example Data centers in Ireland now consume more electricity than all residential homes combined. It's also affecting U.S. regions like Loudoun County, Virginia, and Grant and Douglas Counties in Washington. These areas face increased fossil fuel reliance or maxed-out hydropower, risking energy shortages. So while the digital revolution came from Silicon Valley, the clean tech innovation will come from the talent, resources and innovation right here in Texas. #geothermal #climatetech #climatevc #meta #energytech