USA:

Energy Department Announces $18 Million for Innovative Projects to Advance Geothermal Energy (EERE/GTO)

The U.S. Energy Department today announced up to $18 million for 32 projects that will advance geothermal energy development in the United States.

The selected projects target research and development in three technology areas:

• Advancing subsurface analysis and engineering techniques for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), 
• Applying a mapping approach called play fairway analysis to discover new geothermal resources, and 
• Accelerating extraction technologies to unlock domestic supplies of high-value materials like lithium from low- to moderate-temperature geothermal resources. 

Together, these projects will lower the cost and risk of geothermal development, thereby accelerating technological advancement and economical deployment of geothermal energy.

“Investments in leading-edge geothermal technologies are diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio today and could help power our low-carbon future tomorrow,” said Doug Hollett, director of the Department’s Geothermal Technologies Office. “The projects announced today aim to spur the development of cost-competitive geothermal energy and help provide U.S. manufacturers with the critical materials they need to build clean energy technologies right here in the United States.”

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