Hamed Soroush on Turning the Subsurface Into Clean Energy Batteries

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

The Green Impact Report

Quick take: Hamed Soroush reveals how subsurface thermal energy storage can cut data center cooling power by 80% while creating 6-month energy batteries from underground rocks—plus the mindset shift that transformed his oil & gas expertise into breakthrough clean energy solutions.

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Hamed Soroush is a subsurface engineering expert and entrepreneur who has led over 350 consulting projects across seven countries. As founder of Teverra, he's pioneering technologies that transform underground formations into long-term energy storage systems. A former SPE Distinguished Lecturer, Hamed bridges oil & gas innovation with clean energy solutions, focusing on geothermal energy, carbon storage, and thermal energy systems that can store energy for months without significant loss.

🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Hamed revolutionizes traditional energy approaches:

Key Insight #1: Subsurface Rocks Are Nature's Ultimate Batteries

• The Challenge: Current battery technologies offer only 4-10 hour storage while renewable energy needs long-term solutions
• The Solution: Heat rocks underground using excess renewable energy, storing thermal energy for 6+ months with only 5-6% loss
• ROI: Creates "artificial geothermal reservoirs" that provide baseload renewable energy without the limitations of traditional batteries

Key Insight #2: Data Centers Can Cut Cooling Power by 80%

• The Challenge: 40% of data center power consumption goes to cooling, limiting Georgia's ability to add new facilities
• The Solution: Use subsurface formations and groundwater for district cooling systems
• ROI: 80% reduction in cooling power consumption plus 70% cut in CO2 emissions, enabling more data centers with existing grid capacity

Key Insight #3: Transfer Oil & Gas Innovation to Clean Energy

• The Challenge: Clean energy lacks the advanced subsurface technologies already proven in oil & gas
• The Solution: Apply geomechanics, drilling expertise, and reservoir engineering to geothermal, carbon storage, and energy storage
• ROI: Accelerates clean energy deployment by leveraging decades of subsurface innovation instead of starting from scratch

Sustainable Soundbite

"We are wasting almost half of the energy that we spend a lot of time, effort, and money to generate. And by saving this energy that's wasted, we can actually lift many country's people from poverty."

– Hamed Soroush

Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Assess your building's cooling loads and explore subsurface cooling potential for energy efficiency gains
2. This Quarter: Connect with local geothermal professionals to evaluate thermal energy storage opportunities for your portfolio
3. This Year: Investigate district-scale thermal systems that can share energy between heating-dominant and cooling-dominant buildings

Connect & Learn More

• 🌿 Learn about Teverra: Teverra.com
• 🔗 Connect with Hamed Soroush: LinkedIn
• 📚 Recommended reading: The Future is Faster Than You Think
• 🗒️ Read the transcript [Link]

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