Geothermal energy has always been one of the most promising renewable energy sources. It harnesses the Earth's internal heat, produces no emissions during operation, and can generate energy constantly, without depending on the sun or wind.
But it has a huge problem: it is only viable in places where the heat is accessible. And locating these hotspots usually involves very expensive exploratory drilling.
That's why the recent breakthrough by Zanskar, an American company that is applying artificial intelligence to detect potential hidden geothermal systems, is so significant. And for the first time, its technology has identified a real hotspot in an area that had never been explored before.
The challenge is finding heat where it is invisible. On the surface, we only have clear signs of geothermal activity when we see hot springs, fumaroles, or geysers. That happens in very few places on the planet.
The rest is a mystery: to know what lies beneath our feet, we would have to drill hundreds of meters, something that could cost millions of dollars with no guarantee of success.
This is where AI comes in. Zanskar has developed models capable of analyzing geological data, satellite images, seismic information, and tectonic faults, combining them to identify "blind spots": areas where there might be accessible heat and enough space in the rocks for fluids to circulate.
In other words, AI draws a probable map of the subsurface without having to drill into it first.
A few months ago, this technology yielded its first major result. Zanskar announced that in a completely unexplored area of the Nevada desert, its system had detected a possible hot reservoir. Subsequent drilling confirmed temperatures exceeding 121°C (250°F) at a depth of just 820 meters.
This location has been dubbed Big Blind, and it represents the first geothermal discovery in a previously unexplored area achieved thanks to AI.
If the final assessment is positive, the next step will be to obtain permits to build the plant and connect it to the electrical grid. Everything indicates that it could become a stable source of renewable energy in a place where no one would have imagined it.
Why is this breakthrough so important? Because it completely changes the equation.
If AI can identify hidden hotspots, then geothermal energy could expand to regions where it was never considered viable. This would mean:
. More renewable energy plants distributed around the world,
. Less dependence on fossil fuels,
. A continuous source of energy, very different from the variability of solar and wind power.
Furthermore, each new discovery reduces exploration costs and refines predictive models, creating a virtuous cycle that can accelerate the energy transition.
This is undoubtedly a breakthrough that could redefine the future of geothermal energy and open the door to broader, more efficient, and safer exploitation of our planet's deep heat.
For those who want to see more details, there is a video about the project available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6esypFHLldY#ddg-play
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