Brady PieperThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is unveiling a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to spark new partnerships for geothermal energy research, manufacturing and deployment.
The DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) is announcing up to $19 million in grants to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy to underdeveloped communities around the country. The federal grants, administered through the Regional Partnerships for Geothermal Data initiative, will support partnerships that seek to tackle the barriers to geothermal development, primarily in the Great Basin region with expanded efforts in the southern Basin and Range, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Hawaii.
The GTO intends to award six grants, valued at up to $5 million each, to project coalitions that bridge the data gap hindering the responsible planning and execution of geothermal data collection and dissemination.
Selected partnerships—consisting of industry, academic, state, public and private entities—will identify and address gaps in geothermal data collection to incentivize and stimulate follow-up geothermal exploration and development activities.
The geothermal initiative will support a variety of activities, including regional data collection and exploratory drilling programs. The data gathered through these efforts will offer critical insights into geothermal potential and help guide future exploration and development investments.
Grants will support project activities that advance geothermal research, including the acquisition and publication of seismic, electromagnetic and other geophysical, geological or geochemical data. The GTO will also prioritize projects that emphasize local development efforts and look to improve the availability, use and accessibility of both new and existing high-value datasets.
While federal agencies are unable to participate, the DOE will encourage eligible entities to collaborate with organizations listed under the initiative’s Teaming Partner List, which includes over a dozen entities that are already interested in getting involved.
Interested entities must submit concept papers to the GTO by Feb. 24 to be considered for grant funding. The full application for Regional Partnership for Geothermal Data, including a full project narrative, a budget workbook and supporting documents, is due April 22.
Applicants will be encouraged to propose projects that can scale depending on available funding, ensuring flexibility in the selection process.
Grant selections are anticipated to be announced in June. Once selected, GTO and the DOE’s partnership intermediary, ConnectWerx will meet with selectees to finalize project milestones and start project work.
The DOE and ConnectWerx will host an informational session on Jan. 27 to provide more details on the program’s scope, scale and intent. Interested entities may also attend office hours on either Feb. 18 or April 7 to ask questions to program agencies.
More information on Regional Partnership for Geothermal Data can be found on the DOE’s initial FOA or on ConnectWerx’ dedicated initiative webpage.
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