Did You Hear? GTO Announces Five Finalists in the Geothermal Geophone Prize

GTO has selected five finalists in the second phase of the Geothermal Geophone Prize. Each finalist will receive $250,000 in cash and $100,000 in national laboratory vouchers to compete in the final round. The five finalists will fabricate and test advanced functional seismometer prototypes at a qualified testing facility and have the opportunity to work with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to field test prototypes in an active geothermal field. The finalists are: 

• Avalon Sciences North America: Chirped Laser Geophone for Geothermal Boreholes 
• GE Research: GE MEMS Downhole Geophone 
• GeoPhotonics (Rice University) Geophotonics: Optical MEMS & Geothermal Seismology 
• MagiQ Technologies, Inc.: ThermaView Optical Seismic for Smart Geothermal 
• Mustang Optics: Photonic Seismometer for Geothermal Applications 

The Geophone Prize is a three-phase, $3.65 million prize to spur creativity and address the challenges of operating seismic sensors in geothermal environments. These downhole “sensors” are critical to scaling the deployment of geothermal energy as they collect data on geothermal reservoirs over 10,000 feet underground, enabling us to access heat previously stranded by its depth. The prize incentivizes the nation’s innovators and entrepreneurs to rapidly discover, research, iterate, and deliver new high-temperature seismic sensor solutions with enhanced performance. 

During Phase 2 of the prize, 10 semifinalists and two new teams refined their geophone designs and performed bench-scale proof-of-concept testing. GTO expects to announce prize winners in 2025.  

To learn more about the Prize and the Phase 2 Finalists visit HeroX.