Director’s Note: With the start of the new year comes reflection, and I want to take a moment to thank everyone in the geothermal community for everything you’ve done—and continue to do—to help build a path toward an equitable energy transition. As I look ahead to 2022, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to partner with you.  

At the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and especially in the Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), it is our job to communicate the facts associated with clean energy and how our investments as responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars benefit all Americans. The recently announced Clean Energy Champions campaign is intended to unite our efforts to be even more effective clean energy stewards in 2022 and beyond. Who is a Clean Energy Champion? YOU are—along with everyone who works with, uses, supports, or educates others about clean energy. The campaign is more than just information sharing—it’s a call to action: Be a leader, use renewable energy, and spread the word. DOE believes all Americans can become Clean Energy Champions.   

In 2022, GTO will continue to promote the benefits of clean energy and highlight the ways geothermal can help secure a cleaner, healthier, and more just energy future. Please join me Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET for our next quarterly webinar to learn more about our plans for the year.  

                                                                                              —GTO Director Susan Hamm

Four Projects Receive up to $8.4 Million for Accessing Geothermal Energy Production From Hydrocarbon Wells  

As part of the Wells of Opportunity initiative, GTO recently announced four new projects that will explore transforming oil wells into geothermal wells to make more renewable power available for schools, rural electric vehicle infrastructure, and local communities. With this funding, GTO is partnering with well owners and operators to use idle or unproductive wells to access otherwise untapped geothermal potential in support of creating a new clean energy workforce and advancing the deployment of more geothermal across the nation. 

DOE Signs on to Multi-Agency Memorandum of Understanding to Prioritize Reviews for Renewable Energy Projects on Public Lands   

DOE is working closely with the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency to expedite permitting decisions for renewable energy projects in order to reach a carbon-free sector by 2035. Read more. 

The prize, supported by GTO and the Advanced Manufacturing Office, incentives geothermal innovations using 3D printing to address manufacturing challenges fundamental to operating in harsh geothermal environments.  

Airplane to Make Low-Level Flights Over Southern California  

Southern California residents may soon notice low-flying planes near the Salton Sea. These planes are looking for new undiscovered geothermal and mineral resources. Read more.  

Geothermal Named One of Top Better Buildings Solutions of 2021  

To help its customers reap the benefits of reduced energy consumption, increased reliability, and improved security, Better Buildings Challenge partner Iron Mountain Data Centers developed an innovative, energy-efficient geothermal cooling system at its Boyers, Pennsylvania, site. Recognized as one of the top solutions of 2021, the site is located 200 feet underground in a former limestone mine containing a 35-acre water reservoir. Combined with a surface-mounted free-cooling chiller plant, Iron Mountain’s geothermal cooling system has yielded 34% energy savings. Read more. 

Sign Up to Receive Funding Notices from DOE  

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has launched a new email list to share its funding opportunities and prizes.  

Researchers, entrepreneurs, academics, professionals, and other stakeholders are encouraged to sign up to receive information about open funding programs for all of EERE’s clean energy technologies.   

Visit EERE’s Funding Opportunities webpage to register and find additional resources and the latest information.

The World Is Hungry for Lithium. Geothermal Energy Could Transform How It’s Sourced. Lithium is essential to the transition to a green economy. Several companies are exploring whether direct lithium extraction from geothermal water could provide a sustainable method for meeting the demand.  

The Renewable Energy Source Democrats Hope Will Break Out. Tax credits currently under consideration by Congress could lead to technological breakthroughs needed to propel geothermal into a competitive clean energy resource.  

How Does Geothermal Energy Work to Produce Electricity? Geothermal energy is obtained by pumping out hot water or water through hot rocks and back to the surface. Learn more about the process of turning geothermal energy into electricity.  

Geothermal Everywhere: A New Path for American Renewable Energy Leadership. By decoupling geothermal from geography, advances in enhanced geothermal systems lay the foundation for “geothermal everywhere” and energy abundance in the United States.  

Buffalo Bill Exhibit Shows What Lies on Bottom of Yellowstone Lake. What lies beneath Yellowstone Lake? A new display at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West has the answer. 

How One Could Really Use Geothermal Energy for the Energy Transition. Geothermal energy is ripe for prime time, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding could make the enhanced geothermal systems transition to commercial use much easier.