Geothermal

Located right beneath your feet, yet you likely don’t even know it’s there: a vast, largely untapped renewable energy resource. Geothermal energy is a renewable solution with a range of potential uses: from heating and cooling enabled by thermal storage properties just tens of feet deep, to reliable and flexible electricity generation from heat found thousands of feet or even miles below the surface. While geothermal development has traditionally been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries (like Iceland, Philippines, and the western United States), advancing technologies are gradually expanding its geographic potential. Geothermal resources can be found nationwide, are “always on,” and represent significant domestic energy potential to support the nation’s energy needs. With proper management, geothermal reservoirs are sustainable for decades or even centuries, making this resource an increasingly valuable component for America's energy future.

Why Is Geothermal Energy a Good Idea for the United States?

Geothermal offers firm, flexible, renewable electricity generation that can provide reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable grid power.

Recognizing geothermal energy's advantages, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds research, development, and demonstration in geothermal technologies through the Office of Geothermal (OG) and other DOE offices.

DOE supports the acceleration of the discovery and development of gigawatt-scale geothermal energy and the positioning of geothermal as a competitive domestic source for reliable baseload electricity generation by:

Supporting resource characterization and advancing the best opportunities for development;
Driving innovations that enable development optimization of advanced materials, tools, and methods;
Investing in the revitalization of existing geothermal production; and
Pursuing methods of using geothermal for storage and load-following capabilities.