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.

"Geothermal is the future," said competition participant Cesar Vivas at a geothermal community event hosted by the winning team. "It is the only renewable that can be a baseload source of power and is not limited by seasonal factors. You can develop geothermal energy anywhere, so I recommend anyone to apply to this competition."

The Sooners Geothermal Team from the University of Oklahoma (OU) took first place for designing a system repurposing six abandoned oil and gas wells in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to provide clean, renewable geothermal energy for more than 730,449 square feet of educational and municipal buildings, including sites within the Absentee Shawnee Tribe and Potawatomi Nation jurisdiction.

By using previously drilled, currently unproductive oil and gas wells, the team showed how a creative design could reduce drilling costs to feasibly power local schools, religious centers, and government buildings using geothermal energy.

As part of the competition, the first-place team from the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy received funding to host a community event sharing their project and the benefits of geothermal. The team's event was held on Sept. 2, 2022, in the historic Molly Shi Boren Ballroom at the Oklahoma Memorial Union, where the team shared their passion for this project and the potential of geothermal energy.

"I just took a course here on geothermal, but the amount of knowledge that we acquired by doing the project was so much more than a course—it is a 'hands in' type of opportunity," said Karelia La Marca, the team's geophysicist.

As she enters the final year of her doctoral studies at OU, La Marca shared that her studies of geothermal are not over just because the competition has ended.

"The cool thing is that I got so interested in geothermal energy from this competition, and how we can transfer oil and gas skills, that my third and final doctoral project is going to be based on geothermal," La Marca said.

Yuxing Wu, a postdoctoral researcher at OU responsible for modeling and economic development for the competition project, has also found inspiration through the competition.

"Next step, we want to let more people know we have this project, collect some funding, and then we want to make it real—not just on paper," Wu said.

So how did the team react when they learned they won this year's competition and $10,000?

"We were very proud of all the work we put into it, but we were all kind of in shock when we heard we won," Cedola said. "We freaked out, started texting and calling each other, and our advisors and teachers found out. It was thrilling."

The next Geothermal Collegiate Competition opens for registration—and a shot at thousands in prize funding—in November 2022. Competition deliverables will be due in spring 2023. Keep an eye on the Geothermal Collegiate Competition website for more information.

● Statement = Our organizational commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
● Goals = Our general long-term aspirations.
● Objectives = How we will achieve our goals in the given time frame.

"Geothermal Rising is committed to improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to provide a brighter future for Earth and all its inhabitants. Our organization and community embrace and celebrate our members’ differences. It is the responsibility of Geothermal Rising to encourage and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a global geothermal non-profit organization, we are committed to connecting the geothermal community. There is more work to be done and, as we expand across markets and internationally, Geothermal Rising will continue to seek equitable improvement to elevate the geothermal community."

1. Elevate Awareness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the geothermal community
2. Create a Welcoming and Inclusive Environment for All within the geothermal community, Geothermal Rising organization and events
3. Engage with the Geothermal Industry to establish (support) improvement and encourage change
4. Hold ourselves and the Geothermal Community Accountable to commitments and improvements

❖ Metrics to provide a baseline understanding and to recognize opportunities for improvement.
❖ Event support encouraging diversification of awards, conference location selection, and safety.
❖ Providing educational materials through webpage updates, public speaking events, reports, and social media engagement.
❖ Recognition of exemplary individuals and companies of pledges for improvement, support of Geothermal Rising’s efforts, and accomplishments.

In the competition, student teams assume the role of a geothermal developer, devising direct-use strategies to heat and cool buildings, campuses, or districts. The competition fosters project development, design, and communications skills while boosting public understanding of geothermal power as a direct, renewable source of energy. Team submissions include a use case, resource assessment, usage evaluation, and a plan to engage the local community.

The recently completed Spring 2021 round of the competition included geothermal concepts designed for Native American reservations, universities, mixed-use communities, and hospital campuses.

Student competitors can also participate in a series of virtual trainings on geothermal site planning tools and practices. Upcoming trainings include the GEOPHIRES geothermal techno-economic simulation tool, environmental regulations and permitting for geothermal projects, the GeoRePORT Socio-Economic Assessment Tool, and reservoir modeling tips and tricks.

Winners and finalists will be recognized in a live Department of Energy announcement and press release as well as National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) news stories. The competition also includes $50,000 in cash prizes to student teams and their universities.

First, second, and third-place winners will also plan and host live, on-site events to educate relevant stakeholders about their proposed projects during the summer of 2022.

Ready to heat up spring 2022? Sign up, create a team, and upload the first required phase of your submission by Feb. 17, 2022. If you know of an educator or students who might be interested, help NREL spread the word.

NREL competition administrators are also looking for members of the geothermal industry to serve as competition judges. To volunteer as a judge, reviewing student submissions and providing valuable feedback, email geo.competition@nrel.gov.

We regret to announce Charles “Les” Goetting, passed away Sunday September 12th in the comfort of his home in Ventura, CA after a long battle with Leukemia.
 
Les founded Project Engineering in 1983 and built PE into the premier supplier of casing accessories and completion tools that it is today.  Over the past five years as his health declined, Les retired and hand selected a team of trusted individuals to carry Project Engineering forward. The PE Team is saddened about Les’ passing as he was not just a boss, but a friend, a mentor and father figure. He was greatly loved and will be missed by all who knew him. We would like to thank everyone who kept Les in their prayers and thoughts.
 
The funeral service date and time will be announced in the days to come.
 
Per Les’ wishes, in lieu of flowers or gifts, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on his behalf.

 
Any Cards or letters can be sent to the Project Engineering office at:
12611 South Enos Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93311