Volts Super-deep geothermal drilling ... with microwaves
19 snips
Oct 10, 2025 Carlos Araque, CEO of Quaise and a former oil-and-gas engineer, dives into revolutionary geothermal energy solutions. He shares how his company uses millimeter-wave technology to power up drilling deep into the Earth's crust, vaporizing rock with microwaves. By tapping into supercritical geothermal heat, Araque argues for the oil industry's shift from fuels to heat. He discusses the vast, sustainable potential of Earth's internal heat and the economic benefits of geothermal energy, all while addressing environmental impacts and scalability.
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Manage Cuttings As A Resource
- Remove pulverized rock by blowing gas (air or nitrogen) down the same waveguide pipe.
- Consider downstream mineral recovery as a secondary revenue stream from the fine cuttings.
Sweep Heat From Dry Rock
- Quaze drills to access bulk hot dry rock and then sweeps heat with a closed-loop water system.
- That method targets tens of megawatts per well by accessing fracture networks rather than relying on shallow aquifers.
Leverage Existing Drilling Footprints
- You can retrofit existing geothermal or oilfield sites by drilling deeper to unlock far more energy.
- The drill closes the main gap; the rest scales incrementally with existing industry capabilities.