1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Geothermal Technologies Office

Program Highlights 2017

Dr. Susan Hamm, Director

2 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Highlight: FORGE

FORGE labs in Nevada and Utah continue building

toward a sustainable model for enhanced geothermal.

FORGE’s mission is to accelerate research that helps identify a replicable,

commercial pathway to enhanced geothermal

3 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Highlight: Collab

GTO works toward visionary goals

supported by innovative research and

high-value initiatives

Drilling operations – including six monitoring

wells, one injection well, and one production

well – commence this month, with

stimulation and flow testing in 2018.

Photo: Tim Kneafsey (LBNL)

4 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Highlight: Play Fairway Analysis

Our goal is to reduce upfront cost and risk by targeting areas where

detailed exploration will most likely be productive

Phase III exploration drilling

begins early 2018, and will test

the ability of a PFA approach to

discover new, viable resources.

Image: University of Nevada-Reno

Phase III partners include:

Nevada Bureau of Mines /

University of Nevada-Reno

Utah State University

University of Hawaii

University of Utah

Washington Division of Geology and

Earth Resources

5 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Highlight: Deep Direct-Use

Image: University of Nevada-Reno

Feasibility project leads include:

Cornell University

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Portland State University

Sandia National Laboratories

University of Illinois

West Virginia University Energy Institute

Feasibility studies are currently underway to

extend the reach of geothermal energy into

untapped regions of the U.S.

Appalachian Basin

Illinois Basin

Wassuk Range (NV)

Columbia River Basalt Group

Walker Lake Valley (NV)

Texas Gulf Coast

6 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Highlight: Mineral Recovery

Coupling mineral extraction with

geothermal power provides

substantial added value

Critical minerals such as lithium, zinc, and manganese are

found in some geothermal brines.

These rare elements are vital to domestic industries such

as electronics, automotive, and aviation.

Many critical metals are byproducts of base elements…

…with essential, wide-ranging uses across multiple domestic

industries

Current activities Four awards = $3.8 million

University of Wyoming Investigating rare earth element

concentration in US oil and gas

(produced) and geothermal

waters

EGI/University of Utah Assessing and characterizing

strategic/critical materials in US

geothermal and hydrocarbon

reservoirs

Lawrence Livermore

National Laboratory

Bioengineering specialized

microbes designed to extract rare

earth metals from geothermal

fluids

Pacific Northwest National

Laboratory

Demonstrating magnetic

nanofluid technology for REE

extraction from geothermal brines

7 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

2018: A Glimpse Ahead

Subsurface R&D

8 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY

www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal

The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) works to reduce costs and risks associated with geothermal development by supporting

innovative technologies that address key exploration and operational challenges.

By advancing the value stream for grid (electricity) production and deep direct use, GTO aims to make geothermal energy a cost-

competitive, widely available, geographically diverse component of the national energy mix.