Could super-hot rocks miles under the earth’s surface provide limitless clean energy?

Hey there! Welcome to Clean Tech News, the newsletter that puts the coffee in your cup.

What's coming up:

• Could super-hot rocks miles under the earth’s surface provide limitless clean energy?

• Meme - Global Warming isn't real?

• A Clean Energy Super Grid spanning Asia Is Becoming a Reality.

• Fascinating Fact.

• Quick and Clean Weekly Bites.

Could super-hot rocks miles under the earth’s surface provide limitless clean energy?

The core of the earth is extremely hot — somewhere between 4,400 degrees and 6,000 degrees Celsius at the very center. If we can drill down from the surface into what’s called superhot rock, then we could access the heat of the earth and turn it into a massive source of zero-carbon, always available energy.

A new report out that came out Friday from the Clean Air Task Force, a non-profit climate organization, finds that this category of clean, baseload superhot rock energy has the potential to be cost-competitive with other zero-carbon technologies — while also, critically, having a small land footprint.

As exciting as this is, it is not reality yet. Currently, there are no superhot rock geothermal energy systems operating and delivering energy, Bruce Hill, the chief geoscientist at Clean Air Task Force and the author of the report, told CNBC. But money is flowing into research projects and companies that are working to develop the technology.

Meme of the week

A Clean Energy Super Grid spanning Asia Is Becoming a Reality.

The plans for a web of sub-sea cables establishing a continental power system spanning Japan to India are gradually becoming cheaper and feasible. The evolution of high voltage, direct current technology, and the ability to lay cables at a depth of up to 3,000 meters has strengthened the prospects of a network spanning the two countries. However, it may help to move renewable energy to consumers thousands of miles away.

On 26 October 2022, in a report, the Asia green Grid Network said that it has become more possible to connect energy grids over long distances in an economical manner. Moreover, making it a reality will require overcoming a series of challenges.

The group, which includes Sun cables, predicts that a pan-Asia grid’s main transmission lines may cost $77 billion to $116 billion. However, the network suggests investing in renewable energy, batteries, and voltage converters. The government and the dedicated sector have been planning to connect power plants and customers across Asia for decades.

Fascinating fact

Record amounts of over 256 Giga-Watts of renewable power capacity were added globally during 2020.

Quick and Clean Weekly Bites.

• Canada has imposed a new ‘luxury tax’ on the sale and importation of high-value cars, planes, and boats. This new tax came into effect on 1 September 2022, the Select Luxury Items Tax Act is billed as part of the government’s commitment to a fairer tax system. Link

• Using cooking oil to power diesel engines has been illegal in France - until now. In July, France's parliament voted on a €20 billion package in response to rising inflation and potential energy shortages this winter. Link

• Rising energy costs are plaguing homes across Europe but in the UK, there could be some good news. In July, the government invested record-breaking amounts into renewables with the capacity to generate up to 11 Giga-Watts of energy. That's enough to power 12 million homes at once. It could help generate electricity at prices around four times less than the current cost of gas. Link