The Future of Geothermal Energy Generation with Carlos Araque, CEO & Co-founder of Quaise

Hardware to Save a Planet · 21 Jul 2022 · 45m · Episode 5

What this episode covers

Carlos Araque, CEO and Co-founder of Quaise Energy, explains how his company uses millimeter-wave drilling technology, derived from fusion research, to access deep geothermal energy. He argues that geothermal is one of the few renewable sources capable of scaling to the 40-50 terawatts needed to replace fossil fuels, unlike solar and wind which face land and material constraints. Araque details Quaise's approach of vaporizing rock at depths of 3-12 miles to produce supercritical steam, enabling the repowering of existing fossil fuel infrastructure rather than building new plants from scratch. He emphasizes the quantitative scale required, noting that drilling 10,000 wells per year is within the current capabilities of the oil and gas industry.

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  • How I Built This · 39m

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    Carlos Araque, co-founder and CEO of Quaise Energy, explains how his company plans to unlock global geothermal energy by drilling 20-kilometer deep holes using millimeter-wave technology developed at MIT. Araque details his transition from a 15-year career in the oil and gas industry, including time at Schlumberger, to founding Quaise to address the technological gaps in the energy transition. He discusses the technical mechanics of vaporizing rock with gyrotrons, the economic potential of repowering existing fossil fuel plants, and the challenges of scaling this capital-intensive technology to compete with wind, solar, and coal.

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  • The Next Byte Podcast · 21m

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