The Tough Tech problem we are solving
Geothermal energy represents the largest untapped energy source on the planet, abundantly available near every population and industrial center on the planet. If we dig deep enough, we can harness this thermal energy with power densities consistent with fossil fuels. These conditions exist everywhere on the planet at depths of 10-20 kilometers. But conventional drilling used for the fossil fuel industry only reaches depths of around 5km. Today, geothermal plants only exist in places where natural conditions allow for energy extraction at relatively shallow depths of up to 400 feet beneath the Earth’s surface. At a certain point, conventional drilling becomes impractical because deeper crust is both hotter and harder, which wears down mechanical drill bits. To scale geothermal to terawatts, we must drill deeper, hotter, and faster than ever before possible.
About our solution
Quaise, a startup born from research at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, is pioneering a new type of energy drilling system in order to reach the depths necessary to exploit the largest source of power-dense clean energy on Earth. Our gyrotron-powered drilling platform vaporizes boreholes through rock and provides access to deep geothermal heat without complex downhole equipment. First, we use conventional rotary drilling to get to basement rock. Then, we switch to high-power millimeter waves to reach unprecedented depths. Our approach uses the established workforce, assets, supply chains, and regulatory frameworks of the fossil fuel industry, enabling a much faster energy transition.