Skip to main content

Just In

"Below the Surface: How Baker Hughes is Drilling the 24/7 Clean Energy Solution"

Below the Surface: How Baker Hughes is Drilling the 24/7 Clean Energy Solution By: Robert Buluma   The geothermal era has arrived — and   Baker Hughes is holding the drill. While much of the energy world remains fixated on LNG exports and offshore wind, a quieter revolution is taking place beneath our feet. Baker Hughes (BKR) , the Houston-based energy technology giant, has assembled what may be the most comprehensive geothermal partnership network in the industry — positioning itself as the go-to industrial executor for next-generation geothermal power. In 2026 alone, the company has locked in strategic collaborations spanning three continents, from the deserts of Saudi Arabia to the outback of Australia and the high-heat basins of the American West. The common thread? Baker Hughes is applying a century of oil and gas drilling expertise to unlock geothermal energy at industrial scale — and the data center boom is providing the perfect market catalyst. The Strategy: "G...
Post a Comment

Revolutionizing Geothermal Energy: GreenFire Energy's Groundbreaking Demo at The Geysers

A New Era for Baseload Power

The future of clean energy lies not only in capturing renewable resources but also in unlocking the untapped potential of existing infrastructure.


GreenFire Energy, a leader in geothermal innovation, has once again proven that dormant or underperforming geothermal wells can be revitalized to deliver substantial, sustainable power. Their latest demonstration project in Northern California marks a transformative leap for the geothermal sector.

The Breakthrough Demonstration at The Geysers

In a significant milestone for the geothermal industry, GreenFire Energy has launched the first commercial next-generation demonstration geothermal system at The Geysers   the world’s largest geothermal field. This breakthrough is more than a scientific achievement; it represents a scalable solution to one of the industry's longstanding challenges: low-output or idle geothermal wells.

The demonstration system achieved sustained flow rates between 300–350 gallons per minute, with temperatures soaring up to 310°F (approximately 154°C). These figures are not just impressive on paper. They reflect a paradigm shift in how we can extract clean, reliable, baseload energy from what were once considered non-viable wells.

The Technology Behind the Triumph

GreenFire Energy's proprietary closed-loop system is at the heart of this success. Unlike conventional geothermal systems that rely heavily on permeability and fluid recharge, GreenFire's technology is designed to match specific geological conditions and well characteristics. This precision-targeted approach allows for more efficient energy extraction while reducing environmental risks and water usage.

The closed-loop system essentially isolates the working fluid from the surrounding rock, using a heat exchanger mechanism to extract thermal energy. 

Source: GreenFire

Connect with us: Alphaxioms

Comments

Post a Comment

Hot Topics 🔥

Eavor Geretsried Geothermal Breakthrough: Inside the Closed-Loop Energy Revolution, Drilling Challenges, and Path to Scalable Clean Power

The Geothermal “Holy Grail” Just Got a Reality Check: Inside Eavor’s Geretsried Breakthrough By: Robert Buluma   May 22, 2026 It’s not every day a deep-tech energy company publishes a detailed technical report that openly documents what went wrong on its flagship project—and still comes out looking stronger. That’s exactly what Eavor Technologies did with its Geretsried geothermal project in Bavaria, Germany. The result is unusually transparent: part technical post-mortem, part validation of a technology many have doubted for years. And the core message is simple. They built it. It works. But it wasn’t smooth. The short version Eavor is trying to solve one of geothermal energy’s hardest problems: how to produce reliable heat and power anywhere, not just in rare volcanic hotspots. Their claim has always been bold: a closed-loop geothermal system that is scalable, dispatchable, low-carbon, and independent of natural reservoirs. Critics have long argued it wouldn’t survive...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rodatherm Energy: The Refrigerant Gambit

By: Robert Buluma   Rodatherm Energy has done something no other geothermal startup has attempted at commercial scale: swapped water for refrigerant in a closed-loop system. The claim is 50% higher thermal efficiency than water-based binary cycles, achieved by circulating a proprietary phase-change fluid through a fully cased, pressurized wellbore. The company emerged from stealth in September 2025 with a $38 million Series A—the largest first venture raise in geothermal history. Lead investor Evok Innovations was joined by Toyota Ventures, TDK Ventures, and the Grantham Foundation. The engineering thesis is elegant. The execution risks are significant. This is an Alphaxioms examination of both. II. The Thermodynamic Distinction Every geothermal company you've covered moves heat using water or steam. Rodatherm moves heat using a fluid that boils and condenses inside the wellbore. In a conventional closed-loop water system (Eavor's model), water circulates as a single-phase liq...
Post a Comment
Read more

XGS, Baker Hughes, and Meta Ignite New Mexico’s 150MW Geothermal AI Power Revolution

XGS and Baker Hughes Push Geothermal Into the AI Era With Massive 150MW Meta-Linked Project in New Mexico The geothermal industry has officially entered a new phase — one where artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, and next-generation geothermal technologies are beginning to converge into a single industrial ecosystem. In one of the most significant geothermal-energy announcements of 2026, XGS Energy has partnered with Baker Hughes to accelerate development of a massive 150MW geothermal power project in New Mexico tied to the growing energy demands of Meta data center operations. The project is not merely another renewable energy development. It represents a major industrial test of whether advanced geothermal systems can reliably power the exploding AI infrastructure economy that is rapidly transforming electricity demand across the United States and the world. According to reports, the geothermal facility will provide electricity into the grid operated by Public S...
Post a Comment
Read more

PhD Opportunity at Newcastle University: Subsurface Geoenergy Science and Geothermal Formation Alteration

Two fully funded PhD studentships at Newcastle University focus on uncertainty quantification in subsurface geoenergy and formation alteration during geothermal production. Deadline: 5 June 2026. The Science Beneath the Steam: Why Two PhD Studentships at Newcastle University Could Shape the Future of Geothermal Energy By Alphaxioms | Geothermal Intelligence & Energy Research Introduction: The Invisible Frontier The global energy transition is fought on many fronts — in boardrooms, on policy floors, in grid-scale engineering tenders, and in the quiet corridors of university research departments where the foundational science of tomorrow's energy systems is being built, one dissertation at a time. It is in these corridors that some of the most consequential decisions about our energy future are made, not by politicians or investors, but by researchers willing to dedicate years of their lives to questions that most of the world has not yet thought to ask. Two such questions have n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zanskar Advances Arizona Geothermal Project as Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Approves New Wells

Zanskar’s geothermal ambitions in Arizona gain momentum after the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved new exploration wells tied to the landmark MILESHIGH project near the Morenci copper mine. By:  Robert Buluma Arizona’s Geothermal Ambitions Surge Forward as New Wells Approved for Landmark Copper Mine Project Arizona is no longer sitting quietly on the sidelines of America’s geothermal revolution. In a development that could reshape both the state’s mining industry and its clean energy future, regulators have approved new geothermal exploration wells tied to the ambitious MILESHIGH geothermal project in Greenlee County. The approval signals far more than another drilling authorization—it represents a decisive step toward integrating geothermal energy into one of North America’s largest copper mining operations while potentially opening a new chapter for geothermal development across the American Southwest. The newly approved wells are associated with a groundbre...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Retrofit Revolution: How GreenFire Energy Is Turning Abandoned Oil & Geothermal Wells Into Continuous Clean Power Without New Drilling

The Retrofit Revolution: How GreenFire Energy Is Unlocking Geothermal Power Without Drilling a Single New Well By: Robert Buluma   While much of the geothermal energy sector has been focused on breakthrough drilling techniques—deeper wells, hotter reservoirs, and complex engineered systems—a quieter revolution has been unfolding in the background. Instead of chasing entirely new subsurface frontiers, one company has chosen a radically simpler question: What if the answer was already in the ground? GreenFire Energy is advancing a retrofit-first geothermal strategy that targets one of the most overlooked opportunities in the global energy transition: existing wells that are underperforming, depleted, or completely abandoned. Rather than drilling new holes into the Earth, the company is reusing the infrastructure that already exists—turning stranded assets into continuous sources of clean, baseload electricity. This approach is not just technically elegant. It may also be one of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

GEN Electric Grid Impact Study RFP in Framingham Massachusetts Advances Utility Geothermal Networks

GEN Electric Grid Impact Study RFP Signals a Defining Moment for Geothermal Energy Networks in the United States By: Robert Buluma The United States geothermal sector is entering a new phase, one where geothermal systems are no longer being viewed only as sources of heating and cooling, but increasingly as strategic infrastructure capable of strengthening the electric grid itself. In one of the most important emerging developments in utility-scale thermal network deployment, the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), in partnership with Eversource Gas, has officially launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a groundbreaking Electric Grid Impact Study focused on Geothermal Energy Networks (GENs), also referred to as Thermal Energy Networks (TENs). Backed by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy under grant “DE-EE0010662.0002 Home Energy Efficiency Team Utility-Managed Geothermal Pilot in Framingham, Massachusetts,” the initiative represents far more than a local energy pilot. It is...
Post a Comment
Read more

MND Completes Landmark Deep Geothermal Drilling Project in Košice, Powering Central Europe’s Clean Heating Future

MND Pushes Central Europe Toward a Geothermal Future with Landmark Košice Project Central Europe has just witnessed a major geothermal breakthrough. Czech energy and drilling giant MND has officially completed the drilling phase of one of the largest geothermal heating projects in Central Europe, marking a decisive moment not only for Slovakia’s energy future, but also for the wider European geothermal sector. Located in the city of Košice, Slovakia’s second-largest city, the ambitious geothermal development demonstrates how deep geothermal energy is rapidly transforming from a niche renewable resource into a strategic pillar of urban energy security, district heating, and industrial decarbonization. The announcement by MND revealed that three deep geothermal boreholes were successfully drilled to depths of up to 3.6 kilometers under difficult geological conditions. Once fully operational, the geothermal system could cover as much as 55% of Košice’s heat consumption — an extraordina...
Post a Comment
Read more

Eavor steps back from operator role in the Geretsried geothermal project

Eavor at the Crossroads: What Geretsried Really Tells Us About the Future of Closed-Loop Geothermal By Alphaxioms Geothermal Insights | May 13, 2026 For years, Eavor Technologies was the geothermal sector's most talked-about enigma. The company raised hundreds of millions of dollars, attracted backing from heavyweights including BP , Chevron , Helmerich & Payne , and Temasek , and made bold promises about a proprietary closed-loop technology that would quietly revolutionise how humanity extracts heat from the earth. But it rarely said much in public. The secrecy was, to many observers in the geothermal community, a feature rather than a bug — protecting intellectual property, managing competitive intelligence, buying time. Now, Eavor is talking. And what it is saying is worth listening to very carefully. In an exclusive interview published on May 13, 2026, by GeoExpro editor Henk Kombrink, Eavor's new president and CEO Mark Fitzgerald — who took the role in October 2025 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Baker Hughes and Helmerich & Payne Unite to Power the Next Era of U.S. Geothermal Energy

Baker Hughes and H&P Partner to Accelerate U.S. Geothermal Development: A Strategic Shift Toward Scalable Clean Baseload Energy By Robert Buluma | Alphaxioms Energy Insights | 2026 Introduction: A Turning Point for Geothermal Energy in the United States The global energy transition is no longer defined only by solar panels and wind turbines. Beneath the surface, a quieter but far more consistent revolution is unfolding—geothermal energy. On May 20, 2026, a major development signaled that this sector is moving from niche experimentation to industrial-scale deployment. Two heavyweight players in the energy and drilling ecosystem— Baker Hughes and Helmerich & Payne (H&P) —announced a strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating geothermal exploration and development in the United States. At the center of the agreement is a geothermal-capable land drilling rig, purpose-built to reduce delays, lower execution risk, and unlock faster development timelines for geotherma...
Post a Comment
Read more