Green energy: Khavda megaproject, white hydrogen and geothermal electricity
The world’s largest renewable energy project is probably being built on the Great Rann of Kutch seasonal salt flat on the Arabian Sea, near India’s border with Pakistan. When completed in 2026, the Khavda Renewable Energy Park will provide 30 GW of renewable wind and solar energy annually to power almost 18 million Indian homes. The Khavda project will be about as large as Singapore and will cover an area of 726 square kilometres. The construction cost is estimated at at least $2.26 billion.
Employees of the French National Center for Scientific Research discovered in Lorraine one of the world’s largest deposits of white hydrogen. It is one of the cleanest fuels in nature. It is estimated that between 46 and 260 million tonnes of that gas are located under old closed mines. Natural hydrogen reservoirs are created when heated water reacts with iron-rich rocks. According to the United States Geological Survey, only a tiny fraction of white hydrogen deposits can provide enough clean energy for hundreds of years. Projects for extracting this ecological fuel are carried out, among others, in Spain and Australia.
Through a partnership with Fervo Energy, Google LCC uses emission-free electricity from a geothermal project to power data centres in Nevada. The power plant near Winnegocca sends approximately 3.5 MW of energy to the grid. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2050 geothermal energy could contribute to 3.5% of global electricity production annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 800 million tons annually.
