The world’s first demonstration of a subsea geothermal power plant has taken place near an active underwater volcano almost a mile below the ocean surface. It generated less than 10 seconds of net-positive electricity but showed the technical feasibility of tapping another form of renewable energy underwater. The three-week test deployment of the 3-ton prototype power plant took place at the Axial Seamount in the northeast Pacific Ocean in September.
Endurance Energy, the Seattle-based startup behind the effort, aims to eventually commercialize subsea geothermal power for Pacific island nations and other customers looking for alternatives to importing expensive fossil fuels. But efforts to tap geothermal power on the seafloor face many different challenges from land-based geothermal projects, which can also add up to higher installation and operational costs. So Endurance Energy must demonstrate consistent underwater operations as well as prove the approach can be cost-effective.
Endurance Energy’s deployment required a subsea lander drill to deploy from the ship Ocean Guardian—operated by Stabbert Maritime—and drill two holes in the seafloor at a depth of about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). That means the test took place at a depth exceeding 2.5 times the height of the One World Trade Center building in New York City, which is the tallest building in the United States.
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