VOA科学技术2024--California Energy Deal Marks Big Step for Geothermal Power

The method of making electricity from the Earth's natural heat has been moving forward quietly for many years. Recently, that effort has reached a milestone¹ with a big, new project.

Southern California Edison announced it will buy electricity from Fervo Energy, a company based in Houston, Texas. Fervo uses geothermal energy to produce electric power. The company is going to drill up to 125 geothermal wells in the southwestern state of Utah. The goal is to produce 400 megawatts of electricity. That is being described as enough to supply power to 400,000 homes.

Wilson Ricks is an energy systems researcher at Princeton University in New Jersey³. He said if the business deal helps geothermal technology, it could be "massively⁴ impactful for global decarbonization." The term decarbonization means using machines and methods that do not produce carbon-based substances when they are used.

New geothermal companies are using the drilling technology that oil and gas industries developed. They drill down into areas where underground rock is very hot to create steam, which can be used for power production. Engineers have been working on this technology for many years.

The United States is among the world's leaders in geothermal energy. But the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says it accounts for less than half of one percent of the nation's electricity.

Fervo is among the first companies to drill in what are called geothermal reservoirs. The EIA describes these as areas of very hot rock that are fairly close to the surface of the Earth - between one and three kilometers. In 2021, the company signed an agreement with Google to drill three wells in Nevada. The Associated Press (AP) reported that the project began supplying power to the Nevada electricity system, or grid⁵, in November.

The new development in Utah is called the Cape⁶ Station project. It is about 320 kilometers south of Salt Lake City. It is expected to begin providing electricity as early as 2026.

California Energy Commission⁷ Chair David Hochschild said his state supports electricity that does not release carbon when it is produced. He said geothermal power works well with solar farms to provide steady electricity when the wind is not blowing, or clouds block the sun. He believes this is important to ensure reliable energy as California cuts the use of oil, gas and coal.

Sarah Jewett is vice⁸ president of Fervo. She called the deal "exciting." Jewett said the deal "...isn't a niche⁹ energy resource going to a niche use." The word "niche" describes something that has very limited availability and limited use in the real world.

Words in This Story

milestone -n. an event that marks progress in someone's life or in the development of a company or organization

geothermal -adj. related to natural heat from beneath the Earth's surface

megawatt -n. one million watt² hours: a measure of electrical power

impact -n. something that causes a result

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 watt   

n.瓦，瓦特

参考例句：

• The invention of the engine is creditable to Watt.发动机的发明归功于瓦特。
• The unit of power is watt.功率的单位是瓦特。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 massively   

adv. 大量地，大规模地

参考例句：

• With the development of network game,Massively Multiplayer Online Games(MMOG) requires ever-higher levels of the servers. 随着网络游戏的迅猛发展，大型多人在线网络游戏(Massively Multiplayer Online Games,MMOG)对服务器的要求越来越高。
• He gingerly touched his right ankle; it was swelling massively. 他小心翼翼地碰了碰右踝，肿得很厉害。

5 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

6 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

7 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。