One of the major obstacles to geothermal power is high costs associated with drilling geothermal wells. At the same time, millions of dollars are spent to plug depleted oil/gas and unused injection wells every year. The founders of Eden GeoPower recognized the potential for these non-producing wells to solve two problems at once by transforming them into energy sources for geothermal power. The power generated from these sites could then be used to either replace diesel generators in ongoing oil field operations or be sold to the grid in power purchase agreements.
Eden GeoPower was founded in April 2017 by GRC Members Paris Smalls and Ammar Alali. Both are in the process of earning their PhDs from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in geophysics. They are currently working towards partnering with governments across the globe on retrofitting wells to provide sources of low cost and reliable electricity, as well as on projects to desalinate water in abandoned oil wells.