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Thursday, January 11, 2018

USA: Update on Projects from the Geothermal Technologies Office

Geothermal Technologies Office: Quarterly Update

To keep the geothermal community – including industry, academia, national labs, and other stakeholders – fully updated on progress within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), a quarterly update presented by GTO Director Dr. Susan Hamm with an introduction by Dr. Timothy Unruh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power was held this morning.

  • Peer Review - more than 60 presentations covering currently funded projects were given at the Peer Review session in November. The Peer Review final report should be published in Spring 2018. Click here for a complete roster of presentations and posters.
  • Drilling RFI - Identifying Opportunities to Address Barriers for Lowering the Cost and Risk of Geothermal Drilling. Responses are due by January 22.
  • FORGE Downselect - Phase II B/C downselect to occur this spring and summer. 
  • EGS Collab - Drilling operations have recently concluded at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. Stimulation and flow testing will commence in Spring 2018.
  • Play Fairway Analysis - Phase III exploration drilling commences this year to test the ability of a Play fairway Analysis approach to discover new, viable resources.
  • Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Update:
    • Topic: Permeability Manipulation and Fluid Control - Deadline was December 2017. 10 proposals received. Selections to be made in early February.
    • Topic: Technology Transfer Opportunity/Dispatchable Geothermal - Deadline was January 8, 2018. 14 proposals received. Selections to be made TBD.