Google Australia has announced a new research initiative that aims to analyze the feasibility of geothermal development on the East Coast of Australia. The study will be done in partnership with the University of Newcastle and its research institute Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER), with support from Solution Energy and Project InnerSpace.
The study is part of Google’s Digital Future Initiative, a $1 billion investment on Australian infrastructure and research projects that build a stronger digital future for Australians. It also supports Google’s goal of operating their data centres and office campuses using carbon-free energy by 2030.
Australian geothermal developer Solution Energy, which holds geothermal exploration licenses in Tasmania and New South Wales, will be supporting the study team. Should these studies progress understanding and development of geothermal energy, Google Australia will continue to explore further collaboration with Solution Energy and other operators. Collaboration with Project InnerSpace will focus on GeoMap, as the findings of the study may inform the development of GeoMap Australia.
The new research initiative follows up on the successful partnership of Google with Fervo Energy to scale geothermal technologies globally, culminating in an enhanced geothermal power project that now supplies electricity to the Nevada grid.
