Reno, Nevada and Houston, Texas (February 14, 2023) — GR, Geothermal Rising, is pleased to announce our next Executive Director. Coming from a professional background that includes academia, government, civil society, and business, Bryant Jones brings years of experience and leadership to help the geothermal industry welcome and advance our next chapter.

GR is a community that advocates for the growth and deployment of geothermal energy. The non-profit is a renewable energy think tank designed to educate and inform audiences about the value and benefits of geothermal energy for heating and cooling as well as electricity generation. Founded in 1972, GR now supports a community of 7,000 people and dozens of member companies operating in the geothermal industry.

GR champions all geothermal energy technologies and applications such as thermal energy networks, hydrothermal systems, geothermal heat pumps, supercritical systems, engineered geothermal systems, closed-loop systems, and many more. Geothermal technologies are clean, renewable, transition the existing oil and gas workforce into the clean energy economy, and can decarbonize economic sectors such as agriculture, commercial and residential buildings, the electrical grid, manufacturing, and industrial heat with zero-carbon heating, cooling, and electricity generation.

“I am extremely pleased to welcome Bryant Jones as the incoming Executive Director of Geothermal Rising.  Bryant has the vision, experience, and capabilities to take this organization to new heights as we re-imagine geothermal advocacy in the United States and position geothermal as a major player in the quest to decarbonize heating, cooling and electricity sectors.  His background in policy and the private equity space, combined with his open mind, and inclusive attitude, make him the ideal candidate to lead our organization into the future,” said Jeanine Vany, Energy Advocate Director on the GR Board of Directors and Executive Vice President at Eavor Technologies.

Bryant recently co-authored a policy white paper on Empowering the Geothermal Earthshot through the Federation of American Scientists with Peter Tait and co-authored and co-edited the landmark report published by Project InnerSpace and the University of Texas at Austin on the Future of Geothermal in Texas with Jamie Beard. 

“The selection of Bryant to lead Geothermal Rising in this period of fast change and transition in the geothermal industry speaks to his vision for the role of geothermal in our energy mix in the coming decades. It's time to go big or go home for geothermal, and cohesive partnerships across industry are critical for geothermal to scale. I look forward to working with Bryant in the coming months to build on and realize the vision of geothermal anywhere,” said Jamie Beard, Executive Director of Project InnerSpace.

Bryant Jones is a policy and energy scholar who has spent the past five years researching at the nexus of policy studies, science and technology studies, and energy transition studies. His research at Boise State University explores how energy advocacy coalitions frame narratives and establish field rules and boundaries as they seek to gain attention and be placed on policy agendas. Bryant has 15 years of policy experience at federal, state, and local levels of government. He served in roles at the White House Office of Management, U.S. Department of State, on Capitol Hill, and is a National Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. 

“Geothermal can decarbonize industry, manufacturing, commercial and residential buildings, agriculture, and the electric grid. It is the solution policymakers, investors, and the public are searching for to solve the climate crisis. I look forward to building on the successes of this proven technology and growing the geothermal community as we use the Earth to save the Earth,” said Bryant Jones.

Bryant resides in Boise, Idaho with his spouse and three children. He is passionate about skiing, fly fishing, and the clean energy transformation.

You may reach Bryant at bryant@geothermal.org.

I would just like to check in with you all after our recent change in leadership. We'd like to assure you all that the Geothermal Rising Conference, coming up on August 28-31st, 2022, will be going off without a hitch! With an increase in papers and posters from 2021 and an interest in Expo spots from an assortment of different, new companies, this upcoming GRC, along with the strong momentum within the geothermal community itself, is surely going to be one to remember. Is your company looking for a booth at the Expo to help network your company to the geothermal industry? Are you looking to register for the conference itself? Find information here: https://grc2022.mygeoenergynow.org/

Along with this increase in participation in GRC, we are really excited to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this association! We are going to celebrate in numerous ways through the remainder of the year, but one way for our membership to get involved is to submit an entry to the photo contest. You can find more information here: https://www.geothermal.org/our-impact/geothermal-rising-50th-anniversary-storytelling-contest

Lastly, the staff, board of directors and numerous volunteers of Geothermal Rising continue to work hard to educate and promote geothermal energy within the US and abroad. A few key initiatives that we are focused on are:

• Furthering geothermal education to the masses. How do we reach those outside of the energy sector to promote geothermal?
• How can we improve the impact of Geothermal Rising outside of the annual conference? 
• What is the membership looking for from Geothermal Rising that they are currently not receiving? 

Thank you for your continued support of Geothermal Rising! If you have any questions, concerns, comments, etc. please reach out, we would love to hear from you.

Brian manages Geothermal Rising's website and library database, and is your primary contact for any library services. He also conducts industry research and formats and edits many of our publications, as well as serving as staff liaison to several of GR's committees.

Brian is a professional librarian with an M.A. and an MLIS, and had held a variety of library and archive management positions prior to joining Geothermal Rising.

Vicki has been an association professional specializing in meeting and event management for nearly 25 years planning meetings for a wide variety of associations including healthcare, scientific, trade and other not-for-profit environments. Prior to joining Association Headquarters, Vicki worked for the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) where she led HDA’s successful efforts to reimagine their annual conferences and seminars increasing attendee, sponsor and exhibitor participation and overall attendee satisfaction.  She joined AH in 2019 and has been the meeting manager for the Project Management Institute Washington DC Chapter, Geothermal Rising, the National Airduct Cleaners Association and the Society For Biomaterials. She is working towards her Certified Meeting Professional and Digital Event Strategist designations. A consummate professional, she is committed to delivering superior programming and events that add value to the organization while creating a lasting, memorable experience for participants.

Dana is your point of contact on the Geothermal Rising team for Corporate and Policy Committee memberships.  In addition, she'll work with you, to help your organization achieve its marketing goals through sponsorship, exhibit, and advertising opportunities. 

Dana's skill set and experience working with non-profits and trade groups help ensure that Geothermal Rising is offering our industry partners comprehensive marketing and member-based solutions.  In her role as Industry Relations Manager, she'll work to ensure your partnership with GR meets and exceeds your expectations.

Graham manages Geothermal Rising's member database, assists on many facets of the annual Geothermal Rising Conference, and serves as the primary contact for all member services.  Graham has worked in member services for several years, most recently for a New Jersey energy trade association.

Earth’s heat is ubiquitous. It’s everywhere below our feet at all times. All we need to do is drill deep enough and we’ll access a limitless supply of energy, available anywhere and at any time.

That makes geothermal technologies very versatile. We can use that subsurface heat energy for power generation, direct heat use for communities, heavy industry, and commercial buildings, and geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling residential properties and businesses.

When we consider this holistic view of using Earth’s heat then the possibilities become extraordinary, unique, and very exciting. It means that as we transition to a carbon-neutral world over the next few decades then geothermal energy will play a critical linchpin role.

The realization of that role has led to an acceleration of activity in the geothermal market that includes:

• research, development, and demonstration of new technologies;
• entrepreneurs and startup companies receiving more investment monies; and,
• new partnerships being developed between governments, academia, and industry.

The geothermal community is a part of the wider renewables community. We need to work together as a renewables community to secure a successful transition to a clean and sustainable energy ecosystem for the good of our planet, our civilization, our economies, and our health and wellbeing across society.

The energy transition requires the following four actions to minimize the impact of climate change and build out an energy ecosystem that will work in practice:

1. electrify everything we can in our daily lives;
2. deliver zero-carbon, reliable, and sustainable electricity;
3. optimize the efficiency of all our energy use; and,
4. develop robust and long-term carbon and energy storage.

And we need to do these things with haste, which means we need to run all these actions in parallel and accelerate deployment in earnest. If we examine the opportunities for geothermal energy within the energy transition then we can understand how it will play that critical linchpin role.

As we build the technologies that enable scaling and accessibility of geothermal energy anywhere, at any time, then we have a huge opportunity to create impactful social and environmental justice due to Earth’s heat being widespread and technologically versatile.

Its 24/7 firm clean energy source provides reliability, resiliency, sustainability, and efficiency to a power grid that also uses intermittent energy sources and storage.

It will allow our power delivery to efficiently adapt to changing patterns of demand (diurnally and annually) as we electrify everything in our lives and robustly work through changing weather patterns and extreme weather events.

That same firm clean energy source will provide optimized heating and cooling efficiencies at different scales from an individual home to heavy industrial use.

With the help of an integrated and systemic energy policy that optimizes the use of all renewable technologies together then the decarbonization of heating and cooling, along with electrification and storage, will allow us to realistically make it to a 100% clean and renewable society.

Elements of the Strategic Plan
● Vision = What we want for the world.
● Mission = How we will achieve our vision.
● Goals = Our general long-term aspirations for the organization.
● Objectives = How we will achieve our goals in the given time frame.
 

Vision
A brighter future for Earth and all its inhabitants, powered by the planet itself.
 

Mission
To connect the geothermal community and champion geothermal energy in the United States and
around the world.
 

Goals
● Broaden awareness of geothermal energy and its important role in the energy transformation.
● Build positive public sentiment towards geothermal energy as a clean, renewable, and
ubiquitous energy source.
● Empower the geothermal community to advance through, technological innovation, education
and collaboration with other sectors
● Expand the demand for and use of geothermal energy.
 

Objectives
1. Raise Public Awareness of Geothermal Energy – increase the visibility of geothermal energy
through marketing and communications activities that inform and educate across a wide spectrum of organizations, agencies, and people.
2. Champion Innovation – serve as a platform for inspiring, encouraging and sharing new technologies that will accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy in an agnostic way.
3. Build an Enabling Environment for Geothermal Energy – work with government and regulatory agencies to incentivize demand and adoption of geothermal energy.
4. Expand GR’s Activities to Grow the Geothermal Industry – build a strong membership base of
individuals and corporations and arm them with the tools they need to engage outside the geothermal community.
5. Maintain Financial Sustainability – operate with a budget surplus through self-supporting activities.
6. Enhance Internal Processes – improve the professional quality of our products and services and integrate the functions of the GR team.

After a couple of busy years and a lot of change for Geothermal Rising and the geothermal community across the globe, we are looking forward to a productive year in 2022! 

Geothermal Rising will be determining the best way to tap into our talented membership to create an impact on geothermal outreach in the US and globally, and will work to increase Geothermal Rising membership by 20%, and finally, strive to coordinate geothermal messaging across local and global geothermal associations.

Geothermal Rising’s volunteers have been working, growing and thriving over the last couple of years. This includes the Student Committee which have been putting on webinars, networking and training opportunities, and growing its social media presence exponentially. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force has done incredible work over the last couple of years driving forward its goals and working to increase inclusivity within the Geothermal Rising membership that we hope will effect change on the broader industry. Lastly, the Communications Committee has been essential to our marketing improvements within Geothermal Rising and will have a large role in celebrating the 50th year anniversary for the association this year!

As the new President of Geothermal Rising, I have a million ideas about ways to help the geothermal industry and community throughout 2022. However, keeping that list short and impactful will be the goal. Please reach out to me with any thoughts, comments, questions, ideas you may have at grpres@geothermal.org.

Geothermal Rising
1121 L Street, Suite 700
Sacramento, CA 95814

March 2, 2022

Recommendations for Implementing Geothermal Demonstration Programs

This memo provides recommendations for implementation of geothermal demonstration programs within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Geothermal energy has the potential to provide massive amounts of clean electricity, heat, and storage. In its landmark GeoVision report, DOE described geothermal as an “always-on source of secure, reliable, and flexible domestic energy that can be utilized across industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.” By DOE’s estimate, geothermal could provide over 120 GW of clean, 24/7 electricity by 2050. Since GeoVision was published in 2019, geothermal innovators and DOE-supported projects are demonstrating a path to unlock these resources. With co-funded investment and strong policy support, the geothermal industry can unleash its full potential.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 provides a unique opportunity to unlock the immense potential of geothermal energy. The IIJA includes several demonstration programs that are well suited to geothermal, including $84M for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and several programs under the new DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), including: regional hydrogen hubs; long-duration energy storage; clean heat for industrial applications; clean energy projects on current and former mine land; energy improvements in rural and remote areas; and upgrading the electric grid to ensure reliability and resilience.

The recommendations below are focused on supporting successful implementation of 1) the EGS Demonstration Program and 2) demonstration programs included in DOE’s OCED.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Demonstration Program

As DOE’s GeoVision report shows, EGS is a promising technology for deploying vast amounts of clean geothermal energy. To support geothermal’s growth, the IIJA included $84M for EGS demonstration projects from FY22 to FY25, as authorized by the Energy Act of 2020. The Energy Act directs DOE to fund four EGS demonstration projects for power production or direct use, utilizing diverse geologic settings and development techniques. Moreover, at least one project must be located east of the Mississippi River.

DOE should strive to issue its first funding opportunity before the end of FY22. To ensure a successful EGS Demonstration Program, DOE should focus on technological diversity, geographic diversity, use-case diversity, and a milestone-based approach. Each of these is explained in further detail below:

● Technological Diversity: DOE’s GeoVision report includes a broad but clear definition of EGS. Specifically, GeoVision defines EGS as unconventional geothermal resources that “contain heat similar to conventional hydrothermal resources but lack the necessary groundwater and/or rock characteristics to enable energy extraction without innovative subsurface engineering and transformation. Unconventional EGS resources can be found at any above-ambient temperature that supports energy conversion for a given end-use technology application.”

DOE’s definition of EGS is broad, allowing for a range of innovative subsurface technologies that can be applied to multiple use cases, including power generation and direct use. As such, DOE’s funding opportunities should follow the definition of EGS in the GeoVision report, applied across a diversity of geologic settings. This will ensure consistency across funding opportunities, provide clarity to potential applicants, and encourage a wide range of technologies to compete.

● Geographic Diversity: The Energy Act also requires demonstration projects to collectively demonstrate different geologic settings, such as hot sedimentary aquifers, layered geologic systems, supercritical systems, and basement rock systems. A mixture of geographic, geologic, and technical diversity can expand the scope of geothermal energy’s potential applications. To the extent possible, DOE should prioritize locations that demonstrate evidence of promising subsurface characterization.

● Use-Case Diversity: Geothermal has promising applications in power generation, direct use, thermal storage, clean heat for industry, and mineral recovery. The EGS Demonstration Program is authorized to fund projects in both power generation and direct use, so DOE’s funding opportunities should be written to be inclusive of all allowable use cases. The next section will explain how DOE can leverage other IIJA demonstration programs to fund promising geothermal projects with thermal storage and clean heat applications, among others.

● Milestone-Based Approach: DOE is explicitly authorized to utilize a milestone-based approach for the EGS Demonstration Program, as described in Section 9005 of the Energy Act. The Department should pursue this structure, while incorporating the best practices of the successful NASA COTS program, to the extent applicable. Section 9005 provides a clear framework for ensuring consistency, transparency, and accountability in funding opportunities. Crucially, the milestone-based approach includes specific “technical and financial milestones, including estimated project timelines and total costs.” By setting clear expectations, DOE can provide effective program management, mitigate risk, and maximize the impact of taxpayer resources.

DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED)

In addition to the EGS Demonstration Program, the IIJA established a new DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to support a wide range of clean energy technologies. The IIJA included several programs under OCED for which geothermal is both eligible and uniquely suited to compete, including:

● Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs $8B ($1.6B for FY22, FY23, FY24, FY25, and FY26)

○ The IIJA includes $8B for DOE to fund at least four regional clean hydrogen hubs. The statute requires at least one project to demonstrate hydrogen production from renewable energy, which can include geothermal. The statute also requires diverse end-uses, including electric power, industrial, residential and commercial heating, and transportation. Geothermal could play a strong role in any of these end-use sectors, particularly residential and commercial heating.

● Energy Storage Demonstration Projects and Pilot Grant Program $355M ($88.75M for FY22, FY23, FY24, and FY25)

○ DOE is directed to fund three energy storage demonstration projects by Sep. 30, 2023 and establish a separate pilot grant program. Geothermal’s potential as a source of seasonal thermal storage makes it well suited to compete for funding under both programs.

● Long Duration Demonstration Initiative and Joint Program $150M ($37.5M for FY22, FY23, FY24, and FY25)

○ This is a joint program between DOE and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to demonstrate long-duration storage technologies at DoD facilities and installations. DOE should ensure effective coordination with the Navy Geothermal Program Office, which is DoD’s lead agency for geothermal development.5

● Industrial Emission Demonstration Projects $500M ($100M for FY22 and FY23, $150M for FY24 and FY25)

○ This program is focused on demonstrating diverse technologies for reducing emissions in the industrial sector. Geothermal has significant potential as a source of clean heat to drive deep decarbonization of hard-to-abate heavy industrial sectors.

● Clean Energy Demonstration Program on Current and Former Mine Land $500M ($100M for FY22, FY23, FY24, FY25 and FY26)

○ Under this program, DOE is directed to fund not more than five clean energy demonstration projects on current and former mine land. Geothermal is explicitly included in the definition of “clean energy project” along with several other technologies.

● Energy Improvements in Rural And Remote Areas $1B ($200M for each FY22, FY23, FY24, FY25, and FY26)

○ The IIJA appropriates $1B over five years for OCED to support “energy improvements in rural and remote areas,” which can include generation resources, microgrids, and grid modernization, among others. Given geothermal’s significant production potential in rural and remote areas, the geothermal industry is well positioned to contribute to the program.

● Program Upgrading Our Electric Grid and Ensuring Reliability and Resiliency $5B ($1B for FY22, FY23, FY24, FY25, and FY26)

○ Under this program, DOE is directed to collaborate with the electric utility sector to demonstrate innovative grid reliability and resilience technologies. Given its capabilities as a firm and flexible resource, geothermal can play a key role.

The IIJA demonstration programs provide an unprecedented opportunity for geothermal. The $84M EGS Demonstration Program is an important foundation to de-risk and scale geothermal projects, while several programs under DOE’s OCED offer geothermal the opportunity to demonstrate its cross-cutting capabilities in energy storage, industrial decarbonization, rural development, and grid reliability. By prioritizing the above recommendations, DOE can help geothermal reach its full potential while maximizing the benefits of its IIJA demonstration programs.

Geothermal Rising, the global nonprofit association that champions geothermal energy and those who make its use possible, announces the election results for its new Board of Directors. Among the Board are seven new Directors that represent the most diversity of any Board in the organization’s 50-year history in terms of gender, racial, and industry diversity.

The new Directors include:

• Elisabeth de Jong, California Energy Commission, Government Representative
• Jay Egg, Egg Geo, LLC., At-Large Representative
• Rita Esuru Okoroafor, Stanford University, At-Large Representative
• Nick Goodman, Cyrq Energy, Inc., Owner/Operator Representative
• Kennie Tsui, New Zealand Geothermal Association, International Representative
• Jaclyn Urbank, POWER Engineers, Inc., Industry Consultant Representative
• Jeanine Vany, Eavor Technologies Inc., Energy Advocate Representative

The election for the Board closed at the end of November 2021, and the new Directors were elected from a pool of talented and extraordinary candidates with broad representation across the geothermal industry and community. They join six continuing Directors to form the 2022 Geothermal Rising Board, which will see a female majority for the first time in its history with eight women presiding. The new Board also reflects a shift to greater industry diversity as the association becomes more focused on both heat and power utilization of Earth's energy, as well as executing on a strategic direction to represent all aspects of the community.

In the spirit of providing collaborative leadership and information, AGI has organized Earth Science Week along with key partners since 1998 to promote awareness of the geosciences and stewardship of the planet. The program, which has grown to reach over 50 million people a year, owes its success largely to the active involvement of partners, the leading organizations that make up and represent the geoscience community.

This year's Earth Science Week will be held from October 10 - 16, 2021 and will celebrate the theme "Water Today and for the Future." The coming year's event will focus on the importance of learning how to understand, conserve, and protect water, perhaps Earth's most vital resource.

Partners contribute to Earth Science Week most substantively with the print materials, online offerings, and events that they provide for educators, students, and others to access through the program website, toolkit, and participation networks (event calendar, newsletter, etc.). While AGI produces and organizes many of the program’s key offerings independently, the bulk are submitted by partners, highlighting their respective areas of expertise within the geosciences.

A PDF of the poster that Geothermal Rising contributed to this year's Earth Science Week can be downloaded by following the link in at the top of the page.

  Geothermal Rising wishes to thank the following companies for sponsoring this year's poster:

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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has just published the much-anticipated 2021 U.S. Geothermal Power Production and District Heating Market Report. This report provides interested stakeholders with up-to-date information and data reflecting the 2019 geothermal power production and district heating markets.

The report captures domestic capacity and usage for geothermal power production and district heating and cooling, while also discussing the impact of state and federal policy and future opportunities for the domestic geothermal market and industry.

Some of the highlights of the report include:

• United States geothermal power capacity increased from 3.627 gigawatts (GW) to 3.673 GW from the end of 2015 through the end of 2019.
• The United States brought seven new geothermal power plants online during this same timeframe, adding 186 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity, while 11 plants were retired or classified as nonoperational, subtracting 103 MW of nameplate capacity.
• Nine new geothermal Power Purchase Agreements have been signed across four states since late 2019, including plans for the first two geothermal power plants to be built in California in a decade.
• Geothermal companies operating in the United States have a combined 58 active developing projects and prospects across nine states.  Five of these projects are in Phase 4, the phase immediately preceding project completion.
• There are currently 23 geothermal district heating (GDH) systems in the United States. The oldest installation dates from 1892 (Boise, Idaho), and the most recent installation was completed in 2017 (Alturas, California)
• U.S. GDH systems tend to be significantly smaller in size (average of 4 MWth) than European GDH systems (continent-wide average of ~17 MWth), and orders of magnitude smaller than the average GDH system in China (~1,000 MWth)

“After working with the NREL and Geothermal Rising team on this informative and must-read report, it's clear that geothermal energy, both power plants and district-heating systems, needs significantly increased demand and resource development at the same time for substantive and sustained industry growth, as envisaged by DOE’s GeoVision report”, commented Geothermal Rising Executive Director, Will Pettitt. “To facilitate that growth the industry needs the following assistance: 1) outreach that enables the acceptance of geothermal energy as a viable clean and renewable energy source that can meet state targets, and that is differentiated from other energy sources by the character of its benefits to society; 2) technology R&D that can lead to more efficient exploration, characterization, and engineering of geothermal resources, and that expands the reach of geothermal energy to any geographic area; and, 3) incentive programs that actively de-risk resource development projects, along the lines of the successes achieved in the US in the 1980s and/or seen elsewhere around the world today, that help standardize budgeting and scheduling metrics so as to promote up-front project investment and advance exploration.”

NREL's press release announcing the publication of the report can be found here: https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2021/new-nrel-report-details-current-state-vast-future-potential-us-geothermal-power-heat.html