The Department of Energy (DOE) announced today that it will advance a $12 million funding for the improvement of geothermal energy technologies; the funding aims at making geothermal more efficient, cleaner and more cost-effective for scalable renewable energy production.
Firstly, the funding will help scientists, engineers and specialists to unlock a greater potential of this energy harvesting method; specially to tackle the climate emergency and to help the U.S. government achieve its net zero goal by 2050.
Secondly, the funding by DOE is particularly aimed to Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), which are man-made reservoirs, created by injecting fluid into rock heated by the earth’s core. Once that fluid is injected, it naturally cracks the rock, on its preexisting fractures, allowing the heat to flow through the rock.
Consequently, it bring hot water into the surface, turning into hot steam; which is in turn harvested by a turbine, making it spin to generate clean, carbon free electricity. Therefore, this funding opportunity will support research, development, demonstration, and deployment of such technologies
Specially, to control the fluid flow in EGS reservoirs, enhancing the connectivity of pre-existing fracture networks; therefore, optimizing them for heat mining. This optimization would increase the reservoir’s efficiency, longevity, driving down its costs; and also reducing the risk of development, and accelerating the path towards widespread commercialization.
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DOE aiming to support new, good paying jobs in geothermal energy
Moreover, according to a tudy by DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), this technology improvements could increase the gigawatts-electric capacity to 60GW-e by 2050. Which would be a 26-fold, from the current 3,7 GWe.
In addition, the DOE intends to rapidly increase such capacity; while also supporting thousands of good-paying jobs for American workers—including those in the oil and gas industries that already have matching skills and expertise.
Furthermore, Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, said. “Enhanced geothermal systems harness the clean, renewable energy that lives right beneath our feet; also, available at any time, in any weather, in any part of the country.”
Finally, she concluded. “This new funding will help us tap into its enormous potential to power millions of homes and businesses; also, to reduce carbon emissions, and put thousands to work in greener, good-paying jobs.”
