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

Raising the recognition of geothermal energy means gaining public acceptance so it becomes directly associated with other renewable energies like wind and solar. When a leading politician stands up to give an address, we need to hear the word “geothermal” along with the ubiquitous mentions of solar and wind.  Geothermal energy can no longer be overlooked by the country’s leadership.  It needs to be a vibrant part of the future energy mix as we head towards 100% renewable and clean energy. To grow our geothermal industry, we need that upward pressure of public opinion on our leaders. Gaining greater public recognition needs to be a long-term effort with lasting cultural changes within our geothermal community.

We need to change how the public perceives us, as well.  To do that we need to change how we portray ourselves outside of our community. This change has to be now. The recognition of climate change around the world and the policies needed to address it are on the cusp of being the norm everywhere. Those who do not believe in climate change and have argued against it are under increasing pressure from the masses that do.  That debate is over!  Borrowing words from a famous British naturalist, David Attenborough, “As we all know, the world is in trouble! Continents are on fire, glaciers are melting, coral reefs are dying, fish are disappearing from our oceans, and the list goes on and on. But we know what to do about it.”

It is the policies of clean and renewable energy that will help drive the popularity of the geothermal industry across its many different incarnations of power, direct use and ground source heat pumps. We need to change our messaging culture from being introverted and technology focused to being extroverted and people focused.

These are exciting times for our organization as we embrace change and evolve into a new non-profit, professional and trade association for geothermal energy. By doing so, we stay relevant and effective for our membership, sponsors and supporters in the geothermal industry and community in the USA and abroad, as well as broadening our reach into geothermal heating and cooling along with our traditional focus on electricity generation.

The new organization will continue the heritage of the past 50 years, connecting with local people and companies on the ground in our industry, bringing people together in research, industry and government, and collaborating with partner organizations, thought leaders and decision makers around the globe. Built on top of this, we will be developing the sharp and modern public relations that reaches out across society to help promote awareness of geothermal energy: from the general public and school children, through to decision makers at the highest levels.

It has long been recognized by the GRC Board of Directors and leadership that the geothermal industry and the GRC could be more effective on the public relations front. In 2018, the Board published a draft outreach report. The Board concluded that the highest priority strategic goal was to increase the importance of geothermal in meeting energy demands and that this required outreach to enable social acceptance.

The outreach report provides a framework for our marketing and communications. Also in 2018, I was hired as the new Executive Director.  A focus of mine was to help GRC implement its vision and strategy.  I have been supported every step of the way by staff, dedicated volunteers and a Board that welcomes those changes.

In February 2019, the Board approved the use of our Foundation funds for a marketing project. Although GRC has been accumulating foundation investments for almost 50 years, this was the first large-scale use of those funds for implementing necessary changes in the best interests of our membership and the entire industry. The ensuing marketing project focusses on a geothermal development campaign for the whole community. Through effective and stronger marketing, Geothermal Rising will more successfully champion geothermal energy to become mainstream.  We hope to bring geothermal into the public conscience at a level with other energy and energy saving sources.  Our society needs geothermal to transition more fully to clean and renewable energy.

In early 2020, GRC hired Taoti Creative, a talented marketing group based in Washington D.C., to lead GRC’s re-branding efforts, develop our new website, and plan a geothermal marketing campaign for our organization, as well as our industry. Taoti’s first task was to assess how the geothermal industry and GRC is accepted outside the geothermal community.

As part of this assessment, Taoti also took a hard look at our name.  As part of the 2018 GRC-GEA consolidation, the GRC and GEA Boards of Directors agreed that a new name for our organization should be considered.  A new name might better characterize who we are to our membership and to the public. After a survey of Directors, staff and members from our GRC community, Taoti concluded that while “Geothermal Resources Council” worked for this organization over the last 50 years, it may not best represent who we are and what we hope to become going forward.  Questions and comments that we received during this process included the following: “What is a council? What resources are we referring to in our name?  Those in the ground, our people…what? Another common comment was that many members associate “GRC” only with the Annual Meeting and were unaware that there is an organization driving all of this.  “See you next year at GRC” is a common refrain among many of our members.

To make us better understood and to help gain a broader acceptance by our members and the public, we need to change both our name and our branding. Consider for a moment some strong names like Nike, Coca-Cola, or Tesla. Branding is not just about a logo and a name.  It encapsulates the look and feel, the ethos, the essence and personality of an organization. As GRC is synonymous with the industry, then to be successful we also need to re-brand the industry to achieve our vision of raising the recognition and acceptance of geothermal energy across society. GRC is the oldest and largest professional and geothermal trade association. We want it to speak for the geothermal community in a modern movement that champions geothermal energy as the future of clean and renewable energy worldwide. I believe that was the aim of the founders of our organization 50 years ago. We intend to help revitalize GRC and our industry through this aggressive re-branding and marketing campaign and honor the intentions of our founders.

We are changing our organization’s name and our branding, and how we are perceived by the public outside our community. We want to stay relevant to our members and community by shifting into public relations on behalf of both GRC and our industry. It is time to rise above being understood by only scientists and engineers and to become mainstream. Our new name needs position, function and personality. We need to convey that we are the authority and the experts, that we are an association and an influencer, and that we are aspirational, positive, and powerful. A strong new name needs to be different, it needs to resonate, and it needs to be relatable for our members and public alike.

After brainstorming with select Board members and thought leaders and then discussing this with leading industry experts, Taoti presented a new name for Board review and approval. In their presentation, they indicated that this new name must be accompanied by relevant messaging. The name and the messaging should be aspirational and optimistic. It cannot be overly descriptive or technical and should appeal to the masses and not just to those in the industry. Our members told us they desire emphasis on community and to be more engaging.

Transforming our industry’s public image also needs to go together with market opportunities, policy changes, and technical innovation to expand our use over the next decades. In the eyes of the public, we need to rise to the challenge of geothermal anywhere and anytime by being a worldwide industry. We need to present new and scalable technologies for power generation like Engineered Geothermal Systems and closed borehole loops, and illustrate the benefits of expanded electricity power generation and direct use for communities and industry.  We need to show that using the near subsurface for heating and cooling our homes and businesses everywhere can significantly reduce people’s electricity demands.

GRC concluded that our messaging must resonate with the public by being built around a goal of effectively utilizing the planet’s resources in order to save the planet. Our message must be positive, aspirational, showing action and potential; lifting geothermal from the depths like we raise heat from the depths. As a community we must inspire people to join us in using the Earth to save the Earth. We must become Geothermal Rising.

This new branding is a dramatic change to the perception of geothermal energy and its oldest organization, but Geothermal Rising is about embracing change. Our new association, speaking with one voice for the geothermal industry, is relevant today as we enter a renaissance period. Finally, Geothermal Rising retains our greatest commodity and brand recognition; in 2021, our annual meeting and industry exhibition will be in San Diego, October 3rd to 6th, and will be the new Geothermal Rising Conference. Looking forward to seeing you at the GRC!

Geothermal Rising Brand Launch, Opening Session, GRC Virtual Annual Meeting & Expo, October 2020

https://geothermalrisingvideolibrary.vhx.tv/browse