Utah FORGE: Building Relationships and Geothermal Understanding in Beaver County

Learn how the Utah FORGE team has become a celebrated part of the local community!

Geothermal Technologies Office

February 29, 2024
minute read time
Utah FORGE staff member Christopher Katis calls on one student among many raised hands in an elementary school classroom.
Utah FORGE's Christopher Katis calls on one of Utah’s future geothermal experts!
Flash Point SLC
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Watch Utah FORGE's video celebrating the support and engagement of their local community!

Utah FORGE

In rural Beaver County, Utah, a key U.S. Department of Energy initiative has long been advancing geothermal technologies and providing benefits to local residents: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office’s (GTO) largest initiative, the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE)

Deep in the heart of this rocky area in the western United States, FORGE researchers, scientists, and other professionals are working hard to advance enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). FORGE has realized many achievements in EGS since GTO launched the initiative in 2015—including becoming a full-scale underground research laboratory with eight wells covering more than 10 miles drilled in total.  

Utah FORGE's Gosia Skowron leads a small group of students in learning about heat transfer by placing their hands down flat on a Peltier Module.
Young scientists learn about heat transfer by lighting a light bulb using a Peltier module during STEMFest.
Utah FORGE

As the site continues to grow toward its technical goals for EGS, FORGE staff also educate and engage with local residents and students to increase awareness about the renewable energy that can be harnessed through the heat beneath their feet. Their outreach work in this area is proving valuable to help local officials, residents, and businesses understand geothermal energy, and in forging substantive relationships and understanding with the community as they've expanded the technical capacity of their site. 

The staff’s dedication to improving basic knowledge of geothermal technologies is clear throughout its outreach activities. “They're very visible, they're here all the time, they're talking all the time,” said Beaver County Commissioner Tammy Pearson of the FORGE team at DOE’s Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ summit in 2023. “They do quarterly reports with our commission. They are really integrating in the education system, in our elementary schools and the high schools. I think they are just so consistent in their visibility and engagement." 

In November 2023, the team held a workshop for teachers to learn more about the “heat beneath our feet” and FORGE’s work (check out their resources for teachers). In addition, FORGE’s outreach team has visited several classrooms and even created a geothermal song parody contest for students. The FORGE team also works to develop and distribute resources to K-12 and university-level students and supports classroom activities and science fairs. 

Utah FORGE's Gosia Skowron points at computer screen displaying heat imaging as she discusses thermal characteristics while four students look on in a classroom visit.
Utah FORGE's Gosia Skowron discusses thermal characteristics with students in a classroom visit.
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"The best part of our job is engagement in the community,” said Mr. Katis. "I like to joke that you could poll any number of politicians from around the country and they're going to know less about geothermal than the sixth graders at Beaver's three elementary schools." 

In addition to working with schools, FORGE’s strong standing in Beaver County affords the research site opportunities to join community-wide initiatives. For instance, the Natural History Museum of Utah included Utah FORGE and its efforts to advance EGS research as the first in a series of rotating displays in its new permanent exhibit, “A Climate of Hope.” The landmark display was designed to inspire Utahns to work toward a world with a thriving energy future. 

A small child in a cape and his guardian stand in front of the Utah FORGE booth, where Christopher Katis answers questions about geothermal energy.
Utah FORGE's Christopher Katis answers questions about geothermal energy at the Utah FORGE booth.
Utah FORGE
Utah FORGE's Gosia Skowron and University of Utah’s Chemical Engineering student Tyler Ray Owens demonstrate a Peltier module at Utah FORGE's crowded booth during STEMFest.
Utah FORGE's Gosia Skowron and University of Utah’s Chemical Engineering student Tyler Ray Owens demonstrate a Peltier module during STEMFest.
Utah FORGE
Several peoples hands' press down flat on a Peltier Module, which has three planks with electrodes and wires connecting them lying on a bed of ice water.
Young scientists experiment with a Peltier module to learn about heat transfer during STEMFest.
Utah FORGE

FORGE also hosts booths at events where they can answer questions, raise awareness of geothermal energy, and build relationships. In 2023, the team’s exhibit visits included the Beaver County Fair, where FORGE participated in the pre-fair elementary school field trips and 800 students came to the site to learn about heat transfer. FORGE has also taken its booth to the local University of Utah’s Welcome Week, Midvale Harvest Days, the Geothermal Rising Conference, and Utah STEMFest, where 14,000 attendees came to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math. 

FORGE is working to help the community and future generations learn about the importance and benefits of geothermal energy. And in the process, they are modeling to other geothermal or renewable energy projects what it looks like to successfully spread understanding and make lasting connections with their local communities.  

Not every project has the capacity to pursue FORGE’s level of activity, but every project needs to bring the thoughtfulness and intentionality around integrating with the community that FORGE displays. Reaching the nation’s geothermal and renewable energy goals will require introducing clean energy technologies in hundreds or even thousands of communities; as FORGE demonstrates, investing in relationship-building is a necessary and productive part of that work. 

Check out FORGE’s website for more on their research and resources for community outreach, and catch all the team’s exciting updates by subscribing to their email list. To learn more how GTO is helping communities learn about geothermal, visit our Community Engagement page.

University of Utah students BJ Iturrieta and Sarah Buening sit at the Utah FORGE booth with smiles on their faces, making a U with their hands (called 'flashing the U' at University of Utah) during the university's Welcome Week.
University of Utah students BJ Iturrieta and Sarah Buening "flash the U" while hosting the Utah FORGE booth during the university's Welcome Week.
Utah FORGE
Tags:
  • Geothermal
  • Geothermal Energy
  • Enhanced Geothermal Shot