Fervo Energy Co-Founder & CEO Tim Latimer

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Dec 7, 2021

Tim Latimer, Co-Founder and CEO of Fervo Energy, dives into the world of geothermal energy as a sustainable solution to our climate crisis. He shares insights on how advanced drilling techniques from the oil and gas sector can unlock this underutilized resource. Latimer emphasizes the 'geothermal decade' and its crucial role in providing reliable energy alongside renewables like wind and solar. He discusses the entrepreneurial journey, fundraising struggles, and the significant collaborations needed to reignite the geothermal industry for a carbon-free future.

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ANECDOTE

Hometown Coal Plant Shaped Perspective

Growing up near the Sandy Creek coal plant showed Tim both economic benefits and persistent air and water impacts.
That experience convinced him we must offer communities better low-carbon options rather than force trade-offs.

ANECDOTE

High-Temp Drilling Led To Geothermal

While solving high-temperature drilling issues in the Eagle Ford, Tim found geothermal literature that changed his career plans.
That research highlighted geothermal's 24-7 potential and became his off-ramp from oil and gas.

ANECDOTE

First Believers: Grants And Brave Angels

Early runway came from a TomKat grant, the Activate program, and an early pre-seed check from Breakthrough Energy.
Those first believers enabled Fervo to survive investor skepticism and start field work.

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Starting in the 1960s, the United States became a world leader in building large-scale geothermal power plants.

That changed in the mid-2000s with the fracking boom. Drillers turned their attention to oil and gas. And as wind, solar and batteries got cheaper, bankers and developers put their money into those resources.

Today, geothermal development around the world has flatlined.

But a small legion of clean energy entrepreneurs is working quietly in the background on innovations that could catalyze the geothermal industry once again.

One of those entrepreneurs is Tim Latimer, Co-Founder and CEO of Fervo Energy.

Fervo Energy is a geothermal developer using advanced drilling techniques from fracking in the oil and gas industry to make it easier to find and harness heat underground.

Tim calls the 2020s "the geothermal decade." We can't transition to a zero-carbon grid without round-the-clock clean energy resources to supplement wind and solar - and geothermal offers that always-on feature.

Tim believes a combination of technology innovation and public attention are setting up a new phase of growth.

Emily spoke with Tim about how he's combining his expertise in oil & gas drilling with a dedication to solving the climate crisis -- and using his experience to break open an overlooked renewable resource.

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