SpaceX Alum Andrew Redd Unveils Plan to Tap Ocean’s Untapped Geothermal Energy

Andrew Redd, a former SpaceX engineer, is on a mission to tap into an untapped source of renewable energy. After years working on rockets that launch into space, Redd turned his sights to the Earth’s oceans and founded Endurance Energy with $54 million in funding from investors like Founders Fund.

Redd's journey began when he noticed a gap in the energy market. 'I realized I can’t just come up with an incremental solution. It actually has to be brand new and it has to be approached from first principles,' Redd explained, drawing parallels between his experience at SpaceX and his new venture.

Endurance Energy's ambitious goal is to harness terawatts of geothermal energy deep in the ocean, a technology that could revolutionize renewable energy sources. The company’s team has grown to 25 employees, with many having previous experience at SpaceX and other innovative tech companies.

Redd, who serves as CEO, believes that any future energy source must be both renewable and available 24/7 (baseload power). He ruled out nuclear due to lengthy regulatory processes and construction times. Solar and wind are not always available, while hydropower is limited geographically.

The solution? Geothermal energy, which Redd sees as the only real deployable baseload renewable source. However, traditional geothermal projects require drilling thousands of feet into the Earth’s crust to access hot enough temperatures for power plants. This often means locations far from large population centers and already claimed prime spots.

Endurance Energy proposes a different approach by targeting areas near tectonic plate boundaries in oceans like the U.S. West Coast, Japan, and Southeast Asia. These regions offer potential sites where hot magma flows close to the surface, making it accessible for energy extraction without the need for deep drilling.

The challenges of operating underwater include dealing with saltwater’s corrosive nature and high-pressure environments. However, Redd points out that the oil and gas industry has decades of experience in this field, suggesting that these hurdles are surmountable.

Endurance Energy plans to use an optimization algorithm to determine which sites offer the best potential for energy extraction while minimizing environmental impact. The company aims to generate tens or hundreds of gigawatts of electricity from these locations, potentially supporting major coastal cities on the Ring of Fire.