Endurance Energy, a Seattle-based company, announced that its prototype Adélie generated net-positive electricity from the heat of the Axial Seamount, an active underwater volcano about 480 kilometers off the coast of Oregon. The company reported that during a test on September 27, the system produced a median energy surplus of about 2 kilowatts for 8.7 seconds, with a peak of 16.5 kilowatts, after subtracting the power used by its own equipment.
The experiment was conducted at Axial Seamount, where hot water from hydrothermal vents emerges at depths of 1,500 meters. Endurance Energy first drilled a 16-meter well beneath the ocean floor, but the water flow was too restricted. Engineers then connected the generator to a natural vent, where water temperatures reached approximately 281°C. The system’s turbine spun at about 26,000 revolutions per minute.
The equipment was controlled remotely from Seattle via an undersea cable network operated by the University of Washington. The test stopped when a safety system protecting the battery from excessive current activated; about 10 minutes later, a pump power cable failed during a restart attempt.
“Gentoo, Endurance's next 100kW test generator, is an upgraded Adélie. It deploys this winter and targets higher power and longer runs,” Endurance founder and CEO Andrew Redd said. He said the updated equipment would address the battery protection and pump cable problems, and that a new drill coming online next year will reach a maximum depth of 500 meters, compared with the current 80-meter maximum.
The company is targeting first power in 2027 from its first commercial project, which is being developed in Tonga, a Pacific island nation whose electricity grid relies largely on imported diesel. “We recognize that larger systems running continuously over years could affect the surrounding water column, biological communities and seafloor habitat,” Redd said. Endurance said it chose a drilling site away from vent chimneys and nearby animals; the company reported that monitoring found no notable change in the life around the site.
A 2016 study by a Chinese team described a device that produced 2.6–3.9 watts during its field test. The measurements come from Endurance, and its announcement included no peer-reviewed paper reporting the results. Environmental questions remain; Redd said Endurance is working with independent researchers on further analysis and studies.
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12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedAdélie generated net-positive electricity from an underwater volcano in an 8.7-second test.ScienceAlert: “For 8.7 seconds, the system did just that.”
- SupportedThe company reported a median surplus of about 2 kilowatts.ScienceAlert: “the company's press release reported a median surplus of about 2 kilowatts during the 8.7-second interval”
- SupportedThe system's peak output was 16.5 kilowatts.ScienceAlert: “with a peak of 16.5 kilowatts.”
- SupportedEndurance Energy announced the results of its Adélie experiment.ScienceAlert: “Seattle-based Endurance Energy announced the results of its Adélie experiment on October 19 in a company press release .”
- SupportedThe test took place at Axial Seamount on September 27.ScienceAlert: “During the September 27 experiment”
- SupportedEngineers drilled a 16-meter well beneath the ocean floor, but water flow was too restricted to run the generator.ScienceAlert: “Engineers drilled a well extending 16 meters (52 feet) beneath the ocean floor, installed a pipe inside it, and cemented it in place. Water emerged at about 260°C (500°F), but its flow was too restricted to run the generator.”
- SupportedWater used for the successful test was approximately 281°C.ScienceAlert: “During the September 27 experiment, that water was approximately 281°C (538°F).”
- SupportedRedd said: “Gentoo, Endurance's next 100kW test generator, is an upgraded Adélie. It deploys this winter and targets higher power and longer runs,”ScienceAlert: “"Gentoo, Endurance's next 100kW test generator, is an upgraded Adélie. It deploys this winter and targets higher power and longer runs," Endurance founder and CEO Andrew Redd told ScienceAlert.”
- SupportedThe new drill will reach a maximum depth of 500 meters, compared with the current drill's 80-meter maximum.ScienceAlert: “"Endurance has a new drill coming online next year which will reach 500m depth at maximum," Redd said. That's about 1,640 feet, compared with the current drill's 80-meter (260-foot) maximum.”
- SupportedThe run stopped when the battery's over-current safety system activated; about 10 minutes later, a pump power cable failed during a restart attempt.ScienceAlert: “Adélie's run stopped when a safety system protecting its battery from excessive current activated. About 10 minutes later, a pump power cable failed during a restart attempt.”
- SupportedEndurance is targeting first power in 2027 from its first commercial project, which is being developed in Tonga.ScienceAlert: “The company says its first commercial project is being developed in Tonga, a Pacific island nation whose electricity grid relies largely on imported diesel. It is targeting first power in 2027.”
- SupportedRedd said: “We recognize that larger systems running continuously over years could affect the surrounding water column, biological communities and seafloor habitat,”ScienceAlert: “"We recognize that larger systems running continuously over years could affect the surrounding water column, biological communities and seafloor habitat," Redd said.”
