For instance, for the first time in history, Congress is specifying the amount of money each individual directorate of the National Science Foundation is allotted. Political influence within the NSF is an alarming notion if you’re a scientist, more so when considering the fact that federal research and development funding has decreased dramatically, and continues to do so. While FORGE is funded by the Department of Energy rather than NSF, all federal agencies are subject to similar political realities.
However, the potential benefits of successful development are undeniably promising. “If you could develop a Cascade-style volcanic system, you’re looking at something that would be a real good competitor with a nuclear reactor on the scale of power output,” stated Adam Schultz, professor of geophysics at Oregon State University and principal investigator for OSU’s part of the FORGE partnership.
“Successful development would lay a foundation for a new industry that doesn’t exist right now, which is large-scale enhanced geothermal energy. So if you make it exist, just thinking about the Northwest, because we happen to have the highest geothermal potential, you have a chain of volcanoes stretching from Southern British Columbia to Northern California, with a lot of potential that could be tapped into, using closed loop systems.”
Of course, the DOE is very interested in the continued research in geothermal energy production. “Enhanced geothermal systems could represent the next frontier of renewable energy and hold the potential to diversify the nation’s energy portfolio while reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere,” said undersecretary for science and energy Lynn Orr in a recent Department of Energy press release.
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