Energy Department announces $14.5 million to advance geothermal energy development

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Monday up to $14.5 million in new funding to advance geothermal energy development, focusing on geothermal drilling.

“Advancing research in geothermal drilling technologies will help harness the heat beneath our feet to expand our domestic energy resources,” Daniel Simmons, principal deputy assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said. “Geothermal is a reliable, baseload renewable energy source with firm and flexible operation, allowing it to provide a range of essential services that contribute to our nation’s grid stability and resiliency.”

The Efficient Drilling for Geothermal Energy (EDGE) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will cover three topics areas: early-stage R&D projects to reduce delays in drilling operations typically referred to as non-drilling time; early-stage R&D projects in drilling technologies that improve penetration rates for drilling geothermal wells; and approaches and models to accelerate the transfer of geothermal drilling and related technologies from the laboratory into the real world by focusing on building partnerships that will increase adoption of nascent technology and improving knowledge transfer in the geothermal industry.

The application process will include two phases: a concept paper phase and a full application phase. Concept papers are due by 5 PM ET on May 31. Applicants must submit a concept paper to be eligible to submit a full application.

The United States currently has an installed geothermal capacity of approximately 3.8 gigawatts (GW). It is estimated that 100 GW or more of additional potential geothermal development is accessible in undiscovered hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems.