DOE $44M for Innovations in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (feat. NM, OK)
The DOE has announced that its Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) field laboratory in Milford, UT, has selected 13 research projects to foster innovation in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Selectees will receive a combined total of up to $44 million for research that will build on FORGE’s existing EGS work and focus on reproducible solutions and dissemination of technical data. More
Representing the EPSCoR jurisdictions are:
- Topic 2: Alternative Stimulation Schemes: University of OKLAHOMA
- Topic 3: Field Scale Experiments to Measure Heat-Sweep Efficiency: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NEW MEXICO
- Topic 4: High Temperature Proppants: OKLAHOMA State University and University of OKLAHOMA
The United States has potential for 90 gigawatts of geothermal electricity-generating capacity — the equivalent of powering more than 65 million American homes — by 2050. However, only a fraction of the nation’s vast geothermal resource can be harnessed via naturally occurring hot water or steam. Tapping into the majority of this resource requires creating humanmade EGS reservoirs in which fluid is injected deep underground into naturally heated rocks that otherwise lack the fluid flow necessary to draw geothermal energy to the surface. By investing in EGS technology development through FORGE and other initiatives, GTO is working to achieve the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ goals of reducing the cost of EGS by 90% by 2035 and deploying geothermal nationwide to help meet the Biden-Harris Administration's goal for a net-zero-carbon economy by 2050.