ABB Energy Industries and Sage Geosystems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing energy storage and geothermal power generation facilities.
The collaboration will allow ABB to support Sage’s agreement with Meta to deliver up to 150MW of geothermal baseload power to a location east of the US Rocky Mountains. The first phase of that project is expected to be operational by 2027.
The main scope of the MoU outlines that ABB will investigate how its automation, electrification and digital technology can be deployed at geothermal sites across the globe to maximise energy efficiency and reliability. This can include the supply of distributed control systems, electrical infrastructure architecture and digital solutions such as asset performance management, process optimisation and cybersecurity systems.
The partnership also has the potential to develop solutions for Sage’s energy storage technology, which can be paired with intermittent renewable resources such as solar and wind.
Cindy Taff, CEO at Sage Geosystems, said, “We are focused on scaling our proprietary Geopressured Geothermal Systems (GGS) technology and our partnership with ABB will advance the widespread deployment of next-generation geothermal.”
Sage’s GGS process involves pumping fluid at pressure into a man-made subsurface reservoir. After the stored water is heated to more than 150°C, leveraging pressure or mechanical energy, it can be released back to the surface to pass through heat exchangers and turbines to generate electricity.
Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB, commented, “To be able to exploit the potential of geothermal energy to enable a low-carbon society, we need cross-industry collaborations to drive advancements in the technology. Sage’s GGS offers the ability to produce low carbon electricity, as well as an energy storage solution, and can play an important role in the energy transition alongside other measures.”