Four billion years ago, Earth was a fiery world, turbulent with molten rock, volcanic eruptions and toxic skies, with intense heat and the constant threat of asteroid strikes.
Thankfully, our planet has cooled a bit since then. However, the Earth still radiates large amounts of geothermal energy. It’s a pure, limitless, always-on source of energy that lies beneath our feet—we just have to dig for it. Or get robots to do the hard work for us.Â
Borobotics, a startup from Switzerland, has developed an autonomous drilling machine “dubbed the ‘world’s most powerful crab'” that promises to make harnessing geothermal heat cheaper and more accessible to everyone.
“Drilling will become possible in properties where it would be unthinkable today – small gardens, car parks and potentially even basements.” Moritz Pill, co-founder of Borobotics, tells TNW. Â
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At just 13.5 cm wide and 2.8 meters long, the compact boring robot can quietly dig almost anywhere. This can make geothermal a sustainable backyard energy source.
The machine, “nicknamed Grabowski” after the famous cartoon mole, is the world’s first geothermal drill that works autonomously, according to the startup. Sensors on Grabowski’s head mean it can detect what kind of material it’s working on. boring. If it hits a water well or gas tank on its way down, the robot worm automatically shuts down the wellbore. And unlike typical oil drills, the machine plugs into a regular electrical outlet.Â
However, Grabowski’s modest framework has some drawbacks. The device is less powerful than larger devices. It is also slower and can only dig to a maximum depth of 500 meters. But for Borobotics’ target market, that’s more than enough, he says.
The boundless heat just below our feet
While most geothermal startups seek to generate utility-scale electricity by digging many kilometers beneath the Earth’s crust, Borobotics is going shallow.
“In many European countries, at a depth of 250 meters, you have an average temperature of 14 degrees C,” he says. The pill. “This is ideal for efficient heating in the winter while still being cool enough to cool the building in the summer.â€
Borobotics wants to touch growing demand for geothermal heat pumps. These devices use a network of underground pipes to transfer heat from below the ground to a building on the surface. Under the right conditions, they double as conditioners.Â
Heating and cooling of buildings constitutes half of global energy consumptionthe lion’s share comes from combustion fossil fuels such as natural gas.Â
To curb emissions, the EU has committed to install 43 million new heat pumps between 2023 and 2030, as part of The bloc’s €300 billion REPowerEU plan
The advantages are obvious. Heat pumps use electricity instead of fossil fuels to transfer heat or cool air. They are up to three times more efficient than the equivalent gas boiler. If they plug into a renewable energy source, even better.Â
The EU supports both geothermal and air source heat pumps, but the latter dominate thanks to lower costs and easier installation. This is despite the fact that geothermal heat pumps are more efficient because they rely on stables underground heating and not fluctuating external temperatures.
“The potential of geothermal heat pumps to decarbonise Europe is considerable, as long as the cost is kept down†Torsten Kolind, managing partner at Underground Ventures, tells TNW. “The minute it happens, the market is open.â€
Underground Ventures, based in Copenhagen, is the world’s first VC fully dedicated to funding geothermal technology startups. The firm led Borobotics’ CHF 1.3 million (€1.38 million) seed funding round, announced this week.
Because of their small size, Borobotics says its drill is “very resource efficient” to produce and maintain. Furthermore, Grabowski’s autonomous abilities, in addition to being cool, have a hidden advantage.
The pill paints the following picture:
“A small team arrives at a site in a Sprinter van containing everything needed to drill,” he explains. “They put the training in half a day, and from then on it runs autonomously.”
The pill predicts that one or two people will be able to handle 10-13 training sites at the same time. If correct, it means drilling companies can cover more ground in less time, even if Grabowski is a bit slower than its fossil-fueled relatives.Â
Considering the EU chronic absence from heat pump installers, an autonomous drilling robot can be a welcome help. Â
Despite the obvious potential, it’s still early days for Borobotics. Founded in 2023, the company is currently developing its first working prototype. Buoyed by its first major funding, it looks set to test the robot under real-world conditions this year.
Geothermal technology is heating up
In December, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published its first report on geothermal energy in more than 10 years. In the report, the IEA predicted that geothermal could be taken care of 15% of global energy demand by 2050from only 1% today.Â
Geothermal projects of the past were mostly state-led and limited to active volcanic regions like Iceland or New Zealand, where hot water bubbles at or near the surface. But the next wave of installations looks set to be led by startups armed with the latest technology that allows them to dig deeper and more efficiently.
Geothermal energy startups attracted $650 million in VC funding in 2024, the highest ever, according to Salesroom data. One of them is US-based Fervo Energy, backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Google has already entered Fervo’s geothermal plant in Nevada power one of its data centers. Another upstart is Canada’s Eavor, which is currently building a giant underground “radiator” in Germany that could 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. Colin.
While US startups are leading the pack, Europe is ready to compete
“Europe has excellent underground geothermal conditions and, unlike America, it also has a strong tradition of district heating,” says Kolind. The investor believes it’s only a matter of time before Europe’s investors and policymakers go all in on geothermal technology.
“Unlike natural gas and coal, it is fossil-free. Unlike the wind and the sun, it is always on. And unlike nuclear power, it is geopolitically sound,” he says.
