The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced more than $99 million for 21 projects aimed at accelerating geothermal energy development across the country through field-scale testing and new exploration drilling.

The initiatives are intended to validate next-generation technologies under real-world conditions and improve knowledge of geothermal resources that could support future commercial projects.

The DOE says geothermal energy can provide reliable, around-the-clock power, making it particularly relevant as electricity demand grows and the need for secure domestic energy supplies increases.

“These projects will empower American innovators to unlock the tremendous geothermal resources beneath our feet,” said Kyle Haustveit, DOE Under Secretary of Energy.

Five projects will test enhanced geothermal systems

Of the 21 selected initiatives, five projects will conduct field-scale tests of enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS, with the aim of validating different technologies under real operating conditions.

EGS technologies are designed to expand geothermal development beyond areas with naturally occurring conventional reservoirs of hot water or steam.

The field tests are expected to generate technical data that could help reduce development risks and improve the commercial viability of next-generation geothermal systems.

Another 16 projects will carry out exploration drilling

The remaining 16 projects will focus on exploration drilling to identify and characterize promising next-generation geothermal resources.

The goal is to obtain geological and technical data that can help determine the potential of new sites and reduce uncertainty before projects move toward commercial development.

Taken together, the DOE expects the initiatives to reduce technical and development risks while generating information that can support future geothermal investment.

Project data will be publicly available

Data generated through the field tests and exploration activities will be made available through the DOE’s Geothermal Data Repository (GDR).

The repository will give companies, researchers and other stakeholders access to information collected through the projects.

According to the DOE, making the data publicly available could extend the value of the initiatives beyond individual sites by supporting future technology development and geothermal exploration across the sector.