Quaise Energy

The waveguide is how we deliver high-power millimeter waves to unlock deep geothermal energy.   Deep geothermal involves temperatures in the 300-500 C range at 3-20 km depths. At these temperatures and depths, getting energy to the bottom of a hole with conventional drilling methods—mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical approaches—becomes exponentially more expensive.   What you need is energy at a distance, which millimeter waves provide via waveguides. A geothermal waveguide is exactly as it sounds: it guides electromagnetic waves to the bottom of a hole. They are specifically designed metal tubes that maximize millimeter wave delivery over long distances. In a geothermal well, the waveguide stops just shy of the bottom of the hole to let the millimeter waves exit the pipe and vaporize basement rock.   Waveguides have been used for decades in telecommunications and fusion energy experiments. In the 1970s, Bell Labs built a 14 km surface waveguide to showcase a system that could carry half a million simultaneous phone calls. In fusion energy, waveguides carry high-powered millimeter waves to heat plasmas hotter than the core of the sun.   Waveguides themselves are nothing new. What's new is adapting waveguides for deep geothermal energy to enable the most secure path to net zero emissions by mid-century.

Geothermal energy is fundamental to life on Earth 🌎 In our July Insights, we explore the past, present, and future of #geothermal energy, including the power and potential of deep geothermal. It’s the story of who we are and where we need to go.   Dig Deeper ⬇   🌊 Life may have started in hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor or in geothermal ponds. 💡 In 1904, a plant in Larderello, Italy, was the first to generate electricity from geothermal. ⚡ Deep geothermal could collectively output terawatts of clean power, enough to sustain large countries and the future of civilization. https://lnkd.in/e9787AfQ

The gyrotron is the centerpiece of our breakthrough drilling platform to unlock deep, clean geothermal at the scale of the energy transition.   Gyrotrons generate powerful microwaves in the millimeter wavelength, heating matter to extreme temperatures. They were first invented in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s and have been predominantly used in fusion energy experiments.   In fusion, gyrotrons heat and maintain plasmas hotter than the core of the sun. In geothermal, we are scaling gyrotrons up to cost-effectively vaporize through basement rock. We call it millimeter wave drilling.   The #gyrotron is the key that unlocks the true potential of #geothermal energy. It allows us to drill 3-20 km down to reach heat in the 300-500 C range. At these temperatures, we can produce 10x more energy than conventional geothermal almost anywhere on Earth.   That's the power and potential unleashed by the gyrotron.

Today, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Ali Azad as an Independent Board Director of Quaise. Azad brings to the board more than forty years of experience in executive leadership and operational positions for first-of-a-kind power project deployments in high-tech, high-regulation environments.   “Energy is the backbone of the global economy,” Azad said. “I see Quaise Energy at the nexus of the clean energy transition by unlocking the true potential of geothermal on a global scale.”   Commercializing deep #geothermal energy involves navigating complex technology, financial, and regulatory environments. Azad’s expertise and sharp outlook on the energy industry will strengthen Quaise to unlock clean energy abundance for all. https://lnkd.in/eUGmZu5D

“If we really want #geothermal to be a game changer, we have to operate at superhot temperatures, or over 375 C.”   Elizabeth Thomson reports on our VP of Geothermal Resource Development, Trenton Cladouhos, and a talk he gave at this year's Geothermal Transition Summit on new computer models that simulate heat extraction and power production from superhot rock geothermal.   Dig deeper ⬇   - Superhot rock geothermal delivers 5-10x more power than Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) - Supercritical water carries 3-4x more energy than regular hot water, converting 2-3x more efficiently into electricity - Just 2% of energy in hot rock 3-10 km down could power the United States 2,000x over https://lnkd.in/dD46uUEY

The clean energy transition offers a new chapter in the saga of human efficiency—preventing the wasteful use of resources by doing more with less—but it is not a given. In our June Insights, we examine why the clean energy path we are currently on takes us backward in terms of overall efficiency, not forward. Dig deeper ⬇ ⚡ One nuclear power plant outputs as much as 800 wind turbines or 8.5 million solar panels. ⛽ One kilogram of gasoline holds about 100 times more energy than one kilogram of a lithium-ion battery. 🔌 The world needs to replicate the entire transmission buildout of the last 100 years in less than 20 years to heavily rely on intermittent and diffuse power sources. 📩 To get our monthly Insights and any future press releases directly in your inbox, you can now sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our website. https://lnkd.in/eg55tu74

This is what the future of energy looks like: boreholes through tough basement rock.   Last year, our team accomplished another milestone on the road to superhot rock #geothermal energy. We drilled a hole 100 inches deep through a column of basalt, making it 100x the scale of the original tests conducted by the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT.   The 100x test pushed the limits of what can be achieved in the lab, requiring our team to get creative. Our engineers rotated the column on its side, horizontally rather than vertically, to get the job done.   The clean cut made by our millimeter wave drilling technology gives us further confidence in moving to the next stage of field demonstrations. We are diligently testing all components in preparation, ready to make another stride toward a future of clean energy for all.

We need power at all hours of the day, making firm power vital to the clean energy transition. In our May Insights, we explore the necessity of always available electricity and the few sources that can provide clean firm power on a global scale.   Geothermal stands out with the potential to grow rapidly in the next couple of decades, thanks to a renaissance of research and development.   Dig deeper ⬇   - 77% of U.S. electricity came from firm power sources in 2023 - In 2045 California alone would need half of today's entire U.S. power capacity to run on non-firm power - Even 99% reliability is not enough for an electrical grid https://lnkd.in/gPgqjSsG

Terawatts of clean energy—with zero carbon.   That’s the potential of deep geothermal technology that Quaise Energy is accelerating with its recent Series A1 financing round. Quaise’s scalable approach repurposes existing drilling infrastructure to access geothermal energy anywhere on Earth, making it a powerful source of clean, renewable energy.   Read more about Quaise’s technology and latest funding: https://lnkd.in/e99HfjGU

Fossil fuels have a strong staying power. In our April Insights, we unpack the fundamental reasons why the world burns more fossil fuels every year and what is needed to change the game. https://lnkd.in/eskaJSEE