Energy Department Announces $2 Million to Advance Collaborative Geothermal Research through New International Partnership

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it will contribute up to $2 million in available funding through a joint Call for Proposals to advance geothermal research and development through a new partnership with more than a dozen European countries.

As part of its membership with GEOTHERMICA – a transnational consortium that combines financial resources and research expertise to demonstrate and validate novel concepts in geothermal energy use – the U.S. geothermal community will be able to collaborate directly with European partners on shared research projects that leverage valuable data, field site access, and extensive expertise in geothermal research and development. European researchers will likewise benefit from shared learning with American counterparts.

In addition to the United States, Norway is also joining GEOTHERMICA and its founding partners Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Germany, France, Turkey, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Italy, and Slovenia. Collectively, these nations will work to optimize geothermal direct-use and power generation, including development of innovative integrated and combined systems.

Through a joint Call for Proposals that GEOTHERMICA released today, each participating country will fund applicants originating within its national boundary; accordingly, DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office will contribute $2 million in funding that will support research via DOE National Laboratories.

DOE and GEOTHERMICA share a common objective of identifying pathways to geothermal commercialization through core research areas, which include identification and assessment of geothermal resources and reservoirs; geothermal resource and reservoir development; and energy supply and smart integration with energy systems.

The full text of the Call for Proposals, including available budget, can be viewed here.

Learn more about DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office, which works to reduce costs and risks associated with geothermal development by supporting innovative technologies that address key exploration and operational challenges. To learn more about GEOTHERMICA, visit www.geothermica.eu.