# HIBT Lab! Quaise Energy: Carlos Araque

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-08-04
- Length: 39m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque#t=0) Introduction: Carlos Araque and Quaise Energy
- [1:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque#t=115) Araque's Background: MIT, Solar Vehicles, and Schlumberger
- [8:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque#t=480) The Energy Transition and the Case for Geothermal
- [18:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque#t=1084) Quaise's Technology: Vaporizing Rock with Microwaves
- [26:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque#t=1581) Funding, Costs, and Scaling Geothermal
- [29:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque#t=1772) Timeline, Hurdles, and Global Impact

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Quaise Energy (company)
- MIT (company)
- Schlumberger (company)
- Paul Woskoff (other)
- gyrotron (tool)
- U.S. Bank (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Future of Geothermal Energy Generation with Carlos Araque, CEO & Co-founder of Quaise](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2022-07-21-the-future-of-geothermal-energy-generation-with-carlos-araque-ceo-co-founder-of) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Digging deep for super hot geothermal](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-05-digging-deep-for-super-hot-geothermal) (Catalyst)
- [Could geothermal become a major zero-emissions player?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-09-09-could-geothermal-become-a-major-zero-emissions-player) (Catalyst)
- [Going deep on next-gen geothermal](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-06-27-going-deep-on-next-gen-geothermal) (Catalyst)
- [How AI Is Unlocking Geothermal Power at Scale with Joel Edwards](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2026-02-19-how-ai-is-unlocking-geothermal-power-at-scale-with-joel-edwards) (Hardware to Save a Planet)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-04-hibt-lab-quaise-energy-carlos-araque. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.