This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Geothermal Resources’ value in Implementing Decarbonization” (GRID) is issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO).
GTO’s mission is to increase geothermal energy deployment through research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of innovative technologies that enhance exploration and production. Its vision is a vibrant domestic geothermal sector that contributes to a carbon-pollution free electric sector by 2035 and a net-zero emission economy by 2050 while providing economic opportunities and environmental benefits for all Americans. GTO supports geothermal energy RD&D activities in six research areas aimed at increased access, reduced costs and improved economics, and improved education and outreach about geothermal resources.1 DOE’s 2023 Enhanced Geothermal ShotTM analysis concludes that with aggressive technology improvements in areas relevant to enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), geothermal electricity generation could provide 90 GWe of firm, flexible power to the US electric grid by 2050.2
Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050“3 to the benefit of all Americans. DOE is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering, catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities.
GTO's Data, Modeling, and Analysis (DMA) Subprogram provides a critical supporting and enabling function toward advancing the entire GTO research portfolio. The goal of the DMA Subprogram is to identify and address barriers to geothermal adoption in the U.S. and validate and assess technical progress across the geothermal sector to inform the direction and prioritization of GTO RD&D.5 A primary technical objective of GTO’s DMA Subprogram is to accurately capture the value of geothermal energy resources in grid models and electricity market valuation1.
This FOA seeks applications to address the potential contribution of geothermal power in supporting an equitable transition to a future decarbonized grid. Strategic goals for this FOA, highlighted below in Table 1, are derived from the GeoVision Roadmap and GTO Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP).
Awards:
Individual awards may vary between $500k and $1.5M.
