The Drill Down – The Road to Widespread Use of Geothermal Energy
Estimated read time: 6 minutes
 Director’s Note: Hello, my fellow geothermal enthusiasts! I am so excited to share an update on the progress of our Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) this month. There is a ton going on, so let’s dig in.
In case you missed it, two weeks ago we hosted the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ Summit. We’re so grateful for those of you in the geothermal community and beyond who joined us for the virtual event. It was incredible to discuss the pathways to achieve the ambitious goal of the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ and actively engage with you all. Carving out time to learn about and help advance enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) takes commitment and we are fueled by your support.
The summit concluded with a technical discussion of the roadmap GTO is outlining to reach the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ target—five technical pathways that we believe will help make this vision a reality. The GTO team and I are eager for your feedback on this roadmap. We encourage you to take a look at the presentation introducing the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ roadmap, and to email EGShotRoadmap@ee.doe.gov with your ideas, questions, and feedback.
The full recording of the summit is now viewable on the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ Summit page, and we will post the full roadmap soon. If you want to ensure you hear about the full roadmap as soon as it’s released, please subscribe to all GTO emails here.
Digging deeper into this edition of our newsletter, we cover plenty of other hot topics. From a Quarterly Webinar recap to some exciting news regarding our presence at the Geothermal Rising Conference, you won’t want to miss these updates.
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Sincerely,
Lauren Boyd
GTO Acting Office Director
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Trivia Question: Currently, which two states account for 90% of U.S. installed geothermal electricity-generating capacity?
GTO's Latest
The Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ Summit Recap
Our full day of discussions at the summit all centered on one key theme: The Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ is our opportunity to take a HUGE stranded energy resource and put it to use for the good of the country. Advancing EGS technologies has wide-ranging impacts, from ‘balancing our energy diet’ with a firm and flexible renewable energy source as Princeton University’s Dr. Jesse Jenkins discussed, to empowering states to envision geothermal energy futures that make sense for their municipalities (and reduce costs for residents!), to training up a new and diverse workforce for this burgeoning industry while also applying and valuing the technical expertise of the existing oil and gas workforce. The importance of advancing this work through cross-cutting partnerships and long-term, consistent community engagement was also emphasized continually throughout the day.
We concluded by introducing our roadmap of five technical pathways to achieving the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™, on which we invite your feedback! Learn more by reviewing the slides on the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ page and watching the recording on our Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ Summit page, then email us at EGShotRoadmap@ee.doe.gov to share your roadmap feedback!
GTO Selects Team to Advance Geothermal Deployment Using Lessons from Oil and Gas
GTO announced a team to lead a new effort to expand U.S. geothermal energy deployment. Under GTO’s Geothermal Energy from Oil and gas Demonstrated Engineering (GEODE) initiative, Project InnerSpace, the Society of Petroleum Engineers International (SPE), and Geothermal Rising will form a consortium to leverage best practices from the oil and gas industry to increase geothermal development. GTO and the GEODE consortium will identify ways to access and apply the expertise, technologies, assets, and workforce skills of the larger domestic oil and gas industry to overcome barriers for geothermal energy and encourage private investment.
DOE will fund up to $10 million to form the GEODE consortium and create a roadmap for up to $155 million in future GEODE competitive solicitations, dependent on Congressional appropriations.
 First and second place teams from the 2022 Geothermal Collegiate Competition pose at their community engagement events.
Start Preparing for the Fall 2023 Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC)
We have news on the Fall 2023 GCC! Start gathering your team for the competition that invites students from collegiate institutions to develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining resume experience in the renewable energy industry. With two tracks this year—technical and policy—there is something for nearly any undergraduate or graduate student. First-place teams in each track will receive $10,000 and second-place teams will win $6,000. Registration opens August 1, 2023. Learn more about the competition and reach out to Geo.Competition@nrel.gov with any questions.
NEW Resource: Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) Information for Consumers
GTO has created a new GHP Information for Consumers webpage that compiles resources to help consumers interested in installing a GHP in their home or business. Explore this new page to learn about GTO’s role in expanding the use of GHPs across the United States and learn where to find financial assistance and incentives for installing a GHP or technical assistance for assessments and installation. Explore the new page.
A Meeting of Minds at the Salton Sea
Last week, GTO's project team examining the lithium resource at the Salton Sea/Imperial Valley area of California conducted an outreach visit to Imperial County, CA, including a tour of a geothermal power plant and a visit to Imperial Valley College to engage with students. They also held a community workshop in Niland, CA, which was attended by local community members, advocacy organizations, and representatives from industry and the county government. The outreach trip was an important step towards involving the community in GTO’s lithium research, and the team received valuable feedback that will help GTO continue to incorporate community engagement moving forward. Learn more about GTO’s research and development on lithium extraction from geothermal brines on our Lithium page.
DOE Launches New Consumer Energy Savings Hub
DOE launched the Energy Savings Hub—an online one-stop shop for American families and consumers to access the savings tools that President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has made available to drastically cut energy costs. The new website puts President Biden’s clean energy tax credits and forthcoming rebates right at Americans’ fingertips, helping people take control of their energy costs and have cleaner and more efficient options as a consumer, whether they are looking to purchase an electric vehicle, update an appliance, or make their home safer and more comfortable.
DOE Issues Notice of Intent to Request Public Comment to Inform Critical Materials Assessment
DOE announced its intent to issue a request for information (RFI) regarding an updated assessment of critical materials for energy. This RFI will be issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office on behalf of DOE with the purpose of improving the DOE Critical Materials Assessment prior to finalization.
Upon its release on or around May 30, 2023, the RFI will seek public feedback on aspects of the DOE Critical Materials Assessment, including a draft list of critical materials for energy to be included in the RFI and the Assessment.
Office of Policy releases "On the Path to 100% Clean Electricity" Report
The Office of Policy released “On the Path to 100% Clean Electricity,” a report that outlines 10 key actions that the United States can take to accelerate the safe and rapid expansion of clean electricity throughout the economy. The key actions identified in this report will accelerate the United States forward to a more secure and equitable clean electricity future that benefits communities, workers, the economy, and the environment.
GTO’s Q2 Quarterly Webinar
If you missed GTO’s latest Quarterly Webinar on April 27, view the slides and transcript to hear about our 2023 Q2 DOE and GTO news, funding opportunities, and project updates. Amidst the many announcements, GTO’s Kevin Jones highlighted the ongoing work at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy and announced that the team spudded its 16B producer well. GTO’s Alexis McKittrick also announced the 11 projects selected for the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment Funding Opportunity. Questions about the webinar? Email DOE.Geothermal@ee.doe.gov.
 (Photo credit: Vern Slocum/DOE Solar Decathlon)
Geothermal in the Mix at Solar Decathlon
In April, more than 400 students and faculty members visited the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Golden, CO, campus for the Solar Decathlon Competition Event. The Solar Decathlon® challenges student teams to design and construct high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewable energy. Many of the 2023 winning Design Challenge projects incorporated geothermal technologies. Commercial Grand Winners from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (pictured) created a net-zero design of New York's Maritime Secondary School that includes heat pumps and also helped them take first place in the Education Building category of the Design Challenge. The Residential Grand Winner as well as other winners in the Education Building, Office Building, and Multifamily Building categories also included geothermal in their designs.
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