On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Cascade Institute and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) published a new report, Drilling for Superhot Geothermal Energy: A Technology Gap Analysis, co-authored by the Cascade Institute’s Rebecca Pearce with Tony Pink of Pink Granite Consulting.
The drilling report reviews state-of-the-art deep geothermal drilling and well-construction technologies, identifies existing technology gaps, and suggests strategies to overcome these gaps. The authors found that superhot geothermal wells can be drilled by deploying a combination of existing technologies and that the technological challenges to SHR drilling are surmountable. Identified technologies include conventional drill bits, hybrid conventional drill bits, direct energy drilling systems, high-temperature downhole tools, insulated drill pipe, low-heat coefficient coatings, supercritical CO2, drilling fluid, drilling muds, and mud coolers.
The report is one in a collection of five flagship CATF Superhot Rock Energy program gap analyses across key technologies that are essential for the success of deep geothermal at a commercial scale (other reports address gaps around siting/characterization, well design and construction, heat extraction, and power production).
For more information, please contact:
Nicole Pointon
Communications Manager Cascade Institute
pointon@cascadeinstitute.org