DoD Issues Request for Proposal for Onsite Geothermal Electricity Generation Prototypes

In January 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an onsite geothermal electricity-generation prototype via the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) website. Submissions were due on January 20, 2023.

Given geothermal energy’s ability to supply baseload resilient power, DoD sought to prototype innovative, on-site geothermal solutions across the technology spectrum to address its energy resilience needs through geothermal electricity generation and distribution. Under the prototype, the selected vendor(s) would gather data, develop a design for a geothermal facility, and propose a deal structure for a potential first-of-its kind, utility-scale geothermal facility on federal property to produce electricity for direct consumption by the host installation and for sale/export to the local distribution grid.

An onsite conceptual geothermal facility under this solicitation could include conventional or non-conventional pre-commercial geothermal technologies that are suitable for various geologic settings at DoD installations across the United States.