Geothermal Surges, AI Powers the Grid & EVs Boom

The clean energy transition is accelerating across multiple fronts, with groundbreaking developments reshaping how we generate, store, and manage electricity. Geothermal energy takes center stage as Fervo Energy secures a 15-year agreement with Shell for 31 megawatts from their Utah project, enabling expansion to 500 megawatts without additional drilling through advanced well design and fiber optic sensing technologies. Meanwhile, Google's investment in Taiwan's geothermal sector promises to double the country's output, highlighting growing interest in this reliable renewable resource.

Wind energy continues its technological evolution with Siemens Gamesa completing work on a massive 21.5 megawatt prototype offshore turbine in Denmark – currently the world's most powerful – though Chinese manufacturers are racing to develop even larger 25 megawatt machines. However, political challenges loom as the Trump administration halts construction of Equinor's fully permitted Empire Wind project off New York, raising questions about regulatory certainty for the offshore wind industry despite years of environmental review.

Electrification and storage solutions show remarkable momentum. Porsche reports that over 38% of its vehicles now have a plug, with pure EVs accounting for 26% of deliveries. Texas-based Base Power secured $200 million to expand its innovative home battery business, offering systems up to four times larger than typical residential storage. On the grid integration front, Google's AI subsidiary Tapestry is partnering with PGM to revolutionize the painfully slow interconnection process with artificial intelligence, potentially slashing wait times for renewable projects from years to months.

From small modular nuclear reactors gaining construction approval in Canada to battery swapping networks expanding in China, these developments collectively paint a picture of an energy landscape in rapid transformation. Subscribe to stay informed about these crucial developments shaping our clean energy future.

Chapters

• 0:00 Geothermal Energy Expansions
• 1:38 Wind Power Developments and Challenges
• 3:06 EV Market and Battery Innovations
• 4:42 Nuclear and Grid Modernization Progress
• 6:16 Episode Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

I've got your energy stories for this. The third week of October 2025. And in the first one, advanced geothermal company Fervo Energy inked a 15-year power purchase agreement PPA with Shell Energy North America for 31 megawatts of geothermal power from Fervo's Cape Station geothermal project in Utah. The deal will help Vervo expand the project's capacity from 400 to 500 megawatts, which it will do without drilling any additional wells. The expansion is facilitated by Vervo's advancements in well design and field development, including increasing the diameter of pipes and optimized well spacing enabled by fiber optic sensing. Shell Energy will be the first offtaker from phase one of this, the world's biggest enhanced geothermal systems development set for commissioning in 2026 with its 500 megawatts of capacity now fully contracted. While also in the state of Utah, the US Bureau of Land Management ran a competitive geothermal lease sale there, nettingting over $5.6 million in bids from four companies covering 14 parcels totaling 50,961 acres. Surprisingly, fervo wasn't one of them.

Speaker 1: 1:13

Meanwhile, google and Baseload Capital have signed a 10-megawatt PPA for geothermal energy in Taiwan. In addition to the power contract, google will directly invest in baseload capital with the goal of accelerating the development of more geothermal energy in the region. The 10 megawatts will double Taiwan's existing geothermal output. This isn't the same enhanced deep rock work that Vervo is doing in Utah, but rather shallower wells in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Siemens Gamesa heralded completed work on a 21.5 megawatt prototype offshore turbine at the Osterreel test facility in northern Denmark. This is the world's most powerful wind turbine for now, but three Chinese companies are in the race to develop 25 megawatt machines, with Goldwind saying last December that it was producing a 22 megawatt model that could generate up to 25 megawatts.

Speaker 1: 2:03

But all is not well in the land of big turbines. The Trump administration's decision to halt construction of Equinor's 54-turbine 15-megawatt machines 810-megawatt Empire Wind 1 project off New York's coast on April 16th is raising concerns that even fully permitted developments representing billions of investment are now in peril. President Trump's Interior Secretary, doug Burgum, ordered Equinor to stop work, suggesting the project's underlying environmental analysis was faulty and rushed, bloomberg notes. However, in the analysis the environmental review process lasted almost 46 and a half months between submission of the construction operations plans and the Department of Interior issuing approval. The average for 11 federally approved projects stands at 41 and a half months, so Equinor took some more time here. The company says it will pursue legal remedies and meanwhile another three projects offshore are in late stages of construction off Rhode Island, new York and Virginia, all expected to deliver power next year.

Speaker 1: 3:06

Porsche's electric vehicle lineup had a solid first quarter. Of the 71,470 cars delivered, 38.5% had a plug, with 26% being all electric. North America continues to be Porsche's largest market with almost 21,000 vehicles sold up, 31% year over year. Of course, now that we all live in tariff land at least for now those numbers are likely to change. Also, in EVs, battery swapping is a big deal, at least in China. According to Reuters, chinese battery giant Kethel is seeking to buy a controlling stake in EV maker Nio's power unit, and Cathal is seeking to buy a controlling stake in EV maker NIO's power unit with its 3,000-plus battery swapping stations in China. While NIO didn't directly answer queries about the deal, it did comment that it was promoting joint construction of battery swapping stations with multiple investors, including Cathal.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Texas startup Base Power, a company that installs oversized home batteries at low prices and often under a subscription service, raised an additional $200 million in a Series B round. That influx of cash will support market growth in Texas, as well as the construction of a new factory for its battery systems. Base offers 25 and up to 50 kilowatt-hour battery systems in Texas to homeowners for backup power, with the customer paying several hundred dollars up front as part of a three-year commitment. In exchange, the customers must agree to buy electricity from BASE and permit the company to dispatch the batteries and sell services to ERCOT. Base projects to have installed 100 megawatts by mid-summer of this year. To put those battery sizes in perspective, a Tesla Powerwall unit is sized at 13.5 kWh, while the average US home uses about 30 kWh of power daily. So these base batteries are pretty big. Smaller Nukes took another step forward with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issuing a Power Reaction Constructor License to Ontario Power Generation Inc to build a General Electric Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Ontario. Ge Phenova's website indicates construction of a new unit will take two to three years, and OPG has previously stated that it expects construction on the first reactor to be done by 2028, with additional reactors entering service between 2034 and 2036.

Speaker 1: 5:34

Google's subsidiary Tapestry is partnering with PGM to develop AI-powered tools to streamline and accelerate the interconnection process an undertaking, now that takes several years. Pgm is develop AI-powered tools to streamline and accelerate the interconnection process an undertaking, now, that takes several years. Pgm is in a tough spot, with rapidly growing load and expected supply retirements representing up to 20% of its current supply capacity. Meanwhile, thousands of assets representing 200 gigawatts of supply, mostly renewables languish in the interconnection queue for about two years. These days, taps3 would manage the queue the first time it has done so in the US building various models, including transmission flow models, developing estimates of costs related to necessary transmission reinforcements and developing schedules. It would also analyze all applicant PDFs and automate the timely and error-prone data verification process. Perhaps more vitally, it will integrate dozens of PGM's databases and tools to create a single model of PGM's transmission network.

Speaker 1: 6:32

Tapestry has already been used in Chile to develop and pilot a planning tool for the nation's transmission grid. The pilot began in Chile in 2021 and aids grid operators in simulating their grid 86% faster than it used to be. This year, the Chileans will fully integrate the tool into their control room and processes. Well, thanks for watching and we'll see you again soon.