# Advanced geothermal

New ways to reach heat where there is no natural reservoir.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/

Capture · Geothermal · No. 35

- Capture
- Output: Electricity
 Capture · Geothermal · Foundation · Energy

Borrowing shale drilling tricks, Fervo pulled over 10 MW from a single well, about three times its earlier project.

Chart: Illustration: Advanced geothermal

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Most hot rock holds no natural reservoir. Enhanced systems crack it open with high-pressure water; closed loops pipe fluid through sealed wells and let heat seep in through about 16 km of wellbore.

##### Three things to know

1. Eavor's Geretsried loop in Germany uses two 4.5-5 km wells with 12 sideways branches and first sent power to the grid in December 2025.
2. Up to 80% of geothermal investment uses skills and equipment that transfer straight from the oil and gas industry.
3. A 20 MW enhanced plant needs about 71,000 m³ of water to crack open its hot rock.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Hot dry rock**Heat, but no natural water reservoir
2. 2 **Drilling**Deep horizontal wells, oilfield style
3. 3 **Cracks or loop**Water forced through fractures, or sealed pipes
4. 4 **Hot fluid**Returns at about 120-140 °C or more
5. 5 **Binary plant**Turns the heat into grid power
 Covered in [Earth's energy flows: sun, wind, water, heat and lifeEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/earths-energy-flows/)

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/resources/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/biosphere/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/links/index.md)