The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a funding opportunity of $171.5 million to support field-scale tests for geothermal electricity generation and exploration drilling to support confirmation and characterization of geothermal prospects.
Underscoring this move, the DOE has rebranded the Office of Fossil Energy as the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO).
“Work under this opportunity will directly support our commitments to advance energy addition, reduce energy costs for American families and businesses, and unleash American energy dominance and innovation,” said Kyle Haustveit, DOE assistant secretary of the HGEO.
The funding opportunity includes six topics with varied levels of funding and awards anticipated. The first round of applications will focus on field tests for enhanced geothermal systems and drilling for hydrothermal resource confirmation and characterization.
DOE analysis shows the US has geothermal power generation capacity of approximately 4 GW, with the potential for at least 300 GW available to the domestic power grid by 2050.
The DOE said it will be accepting letters of intent for the funding opportunity until 27 March, with full applications due 30 April.