Four billion years ago, Earth was a fiery, turbulent world of molten rock, volcanic eruptions and toxic skies, with scorching heat and the constant threat of asteroid impacts.
Luckily, our planet has cooled down a bit since then. However, the Earth still radiates large amounts of geothermal energy. It's a clean, limitless, always-on source of energy that lies beneath our feet – we just have to dig for it. Or let robots do the hard work for us.
Borobotics, a startup from Switzerland, has developed an autonomous drilling machine – dubbed the “world's most powerful worm” – that promises to make harnessing geothermal energy cheaper and more accessible to everyone.
“Drilling will become possible on properties where this would be unthinkable today – small gardens, parking lots and possibly even basements.” Moritz Pill, co-founder of Borobotics, tells TNW.
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With a width of just 13.5 cm and a length of 2.8 meters, the compact drilling robot can dig almost anywhere silently. It could make geothermal energy a viable energy source for the backyard.
A 3D rendering of Borobotics' geothermal drilling rig. Photo credit: Borobotics
The machine – named “Grabowski” after the famous cartoon mole – is the world’s first geothermal drilling machine that works autonomously, according to the startup. Sensors in Grabowski's head allow him to detect what type of material he is drilling through. If it encounters a water source or a gas reservoir on the way down, the robot worm automatically closes the borehole. And unlike the industry's standard diesel-powered drills, the machine plugs into a standard electrical outlet.
However, Grabowski's modest frame has some disadvantages. The device is less powerful than larger rigs. It is also slower and can only dig to a maximum depth of 500 meters. But it is said that this is more than sufficient for Borobotics' target market.
Unlimited heat right under our feet
While most geothermal startups aim to generate utility-scale electricity by digging many kilometers beneath the Earth's crust, Borobotics takes a superficial approach.
“In many European countries, the average temperature is 14 degrees Celsius at a depth of 250 meters,” he says Pill. “This is ideal for heating efficiently in winter and still being cold enough to cool the building in summer.”
Borobotics wants to tap into that budding Demand for geothermal heat pumps. These devices use a network of underground pipes to transfer heat from beneath the earth to a building on the surface. Under the right conditions, they also act as air conditioning.
Heating and cooling of buildings accounts for half global energy consumptionthe lion's share of this comes from combustion fossil fuels like natural gas.
In order to curb emissions, the EU has committed to installing them 43 million new heat pumps between 2023 and 2030 as part of the The bloc's €300 billion REPowerEU plan.
The advantages are obvious. Heat pumps use electricity instead of fossil fuels to transfer heat or cold air. You are ready three times more efficient than the equivalent gas boiler. If they are connected to a renewable energy source, even better.
The EU supports both geothermal and air source heat pumps, but the latter dominate due to lower costs and easier installation. This is despite the fact that geothermal heat pumps are more efficient because they rely on stability underground Warmth instead of fluctuating outside temperatures.
“The potential of geothermal heat pumps to decarbonize Europe is significant as long as costs fall“,” Torsten Kolind, managing partner at Underground Ventures, tells TNW. “The moment that happens, the market is open.”
Copenhagen-based Underground Ventures is the world's first VC dedicated exclusively to funding geothermal technology startups. The company led the CHF by Borobotics 1.3 million (€1.38 million) Pre-seed funding round announced this week.
The Zurich-based Borobotics team has just closed its first major financing round. Photo credit: Borobotics
Due to their small size Borobotics says its drill is “very resource efficient” to manufacture and maintain. What's more, Grabowski's autonomous abilities aren't just cool, they also have a hidden advantage.
Pill paints the following picture:
“A small team comes to the construction site with a Sprinter van that contains everything needed for drilling,” he explains. “You set up the drill in half a day and from then on it works autonomously.”
Pill predicts that one or two people will be able to handle 10-13 drilling sites at a time. If true, it means drilling companies can cover more ground in less time, even if Grabowski is a bit more sluggish than its fossil fuel-powered relatives.
Given the EU chronic deficiency For many heat pump installers, an autonomous drilling robot can be a welcome aid.
Despite the obvious potential, Borobotics is still in its infancy. Founded in 2023, the company is currently developing its first functional prototype. Supported by the first large amount of financing, the company wants to test the robot under real conditions this year.
Geothermal technology is becoming increasingly popular
In December, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its first report on geothermal energy in over 10 years. In the report, the IEA predicted that geothermal energy could provide a solution 15% of global energy demand by 2050from today only 1%.
Previously, geothermal projects were largely government-led and limited to volcanically active regions such as Iceland or New Zealand, where hot water bubbles at or near the surface. But the next wave of installations is likely to be led by startups that have cutting-edge technology that allows them to dig deeper and more efficiently.
Geothermal energy startups attracted $650 million in VC funding in 2024, the highest ever recorded, it says Dealroom data. One of these is US-based Fervo Energy, which is backed by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Google has already connected to the Fervo geothermal plant in Nevada power one of its data centers. Another upstart is Canadian company Eavor, which is currently building a giant underground “radiator” in Germany that could do this heat an entire city.
“The problem has always been geology and economics, but the advances of startups like Fervo and Eavor in recent years have changed the game,” he says Colind.
While US startups are ahead, Europe is well prepared for competition.
“Europe has excellent geothermal underground conditions and, unlike America, also has a strong tradition in district heating,” says Kolind. The investor believes it is only a matter of time before Europe's investors and policymakers fully embrace geothermal technology.
“Unlike natural gas and coal, it is free of fossil fuels. Unlike wind and solar, it is always on. And unlike nuclear energy, it is geopolitically harmless,” he says.
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