Meta plans to power its data centers with geothermal energy.
The company this week announced a deal with startup Sage Geosystems to use the latter’s new technology to power the social media firm’s data centers.
Sage will use its proprietary Geopressured Geothermal System (GGS) to provide carbon-free power for Meta’s data centers. The first phase of this project will aim to be online and operating in 2027. Meta aims to deliver up to 150MW of new geothermal baseload power to support its data center growth.
The social media firm didn’t say where the geothermal projects would be located or which data centers would be powered via geothermal energy – though an announcement from Sage said it would be located “east of the Rocky Mountains.”
Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Meta, said: “Meta thanks the Department of Energy’s leadership on promoting and supporting the exploration of new energy sources like geothermal. That leadership supports Meta’s goal to enable the addition of reliable, affordable, and carbon-free power to the grid with this geothermal energy deal. We are excited to partner with such an innovative company like Sage Geosystems that is a proven leader in geothermal development on this project and beyond.”
“This announcement is the perfect example of how the public and private sector can work together to make the clean energy transition a reality,” added Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geosystems. “We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the next generation of geothermal technology and applaud the DOE for supporting the commercialization of innovation solutions. As energy demand continues to grow, the need for reliable, resilient and sustainable power is paramount and our partnership with Meta underscores the critical need for innovative and sustainable energy solutions like ours.”
Currently, geothermal energy is mainly used in Nevada, Utah, and California. Sage said it uses existing oilfield technologies to potentially offer geothermal energy in more places, broadening its availability. Sage’s approach leverages hot dry rock, which is a more abundant geothermal resource than traditional hydrothermal (hot aquifer) formations.
“Hot dry rock is a vastly abundant resource compared to traditional hydrothermal formations, making Sage’s GGS technology a highly scalable approach with the potential for rapid expansion across the US and globally,” Meta said in its announcement.
Hot dry rock geothermal connects a closed loop water system to hot rocks underground – the water is injected into the rocks in a process similar to fracking, with the resultant hot water taken back to the surface. New reports about the startup suggest Sage can drill its own wells or repurpose dry oil wells for deployments.
Founded in 2020 by former Shell employees, Texas-based Sage raised $17 million in a Series A funding round earlier this year. Led by Chesapeake Energy Corporation, the round included investment from Arch Meredith, Helium-3 Ventures as well as existing investors Virya, LLC, Nabors Industries Ltd., and Ignis Energy Inc. The proceeds will fully fund the company’s first 3MW commercial GGS facility, which will be built in Texas – reportedly outside San Antonio – and is due to go live by the end of the year.
The company is also working on long-duration storage technologies. A small pilot project last year produced 200kW for over 18 hours, and 1MW for 30 minutes.
Sage has previously signed a deal with the US Army to provide power to Fort Bliss in New Mexico and Texas. It is also exploring the use of geothermal energy at the Air Force’s Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas.
To date, Meta said it has contracted more than 12GW in renewable energy projects, making it one of the largest corporate buyers of renewable energy globally.
Google has previously partnered with Fervo Energy and NV Energy to procure more than 100MW of geothermal energy in Nevada.
Microsoft has previously signed a geothermal-based Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in New Zealand with Contact Energy, and is developing a geothermal campus in Kenya alongside G42.
In Indonesia, Star Energy is reportedly in discussions with data center operators about building facilities close to its energy plants. PDG has also signed a geothermal energy contract for its data centers in Indonesia. In the Philippines, Converge has also signed a geothermal energy contract with a local energy company.
In California, new startup CalEthos aims to develop a large-scale campus powered by nearby geothermal plants.
An Italian startup is planning to build a small geothermal-powered data center in Tuscany.
