A startup born out of MIT is aiming to repower the world\u2019s fossil fuel infrastructure with heat from deep inside the Earth. Quaise Energy, a spinout from MIT\u2019s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, is developing an ambitious approach to unlock geothermal energy from unprecedented depths. The company\u2019s technology uses powerful millimeter-wave beams, made from vacuum electronic devices called gyrotrons, to vaporize rock and drill ultra-deep holes. The goal: tap into heat sources at depths of 10 to 20 kilometers (6 to 12 miles), where rock temperatures exceed 500 \u00b0C (930 \u00b0F).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At that depth, geothermal heat is available almost everywhere on Earth. This means that any country could have an almost limitless source of energy, without using precious resources. \u201cIf we can drill down to 20 kilometers,\u201d said Quaise co-founder Matt Houde, \u201cwe can access these super-hot temperatures in greater than 90 percent of locations across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For its pilot project, Quaise Energy will use a shuttered coal plant in upstate New York. Why? Because the grid connections are still intact. The turbine is still functional, too. Quaise plans to restart the plant, but powered by clean, geothermal steam instead of coal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This concept isn\u2019t theoretical. Gyrotrons have been used in nuclear fusion research for decades. Paul Woskov, a longtime MIT research engineer, first proposed applying gyrotrons to drill rock in 2008. Since then, he has tested the concept on a lab scale. Quaise was formed in 2018 to take that work further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, the startup is scaling up. In the next year, it plans to vaporize holes 100 times deeper than Woskov\u2019s original lab tests. The goal is to begin drilling in the field by late 2025 and to harvest energy from a pilot well by 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the vision doesn\u2019t stop there. Because Quaise\u2019s geothermal output can match the operating temperatures of today\u2019s coal and gas plants, the company plans to retrofit these facilities. No need for new power stations or transmission lines. Just a new energy source underground, with no emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge now is engineering, not physics. Material removal, well stability, and cost-effective scalability remain on the roadmap. But the opportunity is massive. If successful, Quaise could provide carbon-free, baseload energy almost anywhere on the planet, with the potential to power humanity for millions of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n