The Geothermal Power Accelerator is a 15-state effort to expand the use of firm, flexible geothermal power by working with states to set statewide geothermal goals, strengthen resource mapping, and advance policies and programs that reduce project costs and address regulatory barriers. Through this initiative, State Energy Offices from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia are collaborating with industry leaders, federal partners, and national laboratories to identify solutions that drive state-level geothermal investment and deployment.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Geothermal is uniquely positioned to partner with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) on this effort. Through the Accelerator, the Office of Geothermal and NASEO are convening states that are committed to geothermal power at the state level, facilitating strategy sessions about geothermal technologies and innovations, and connecting states with technical support from DOE’s national laboratories. In addition to improving state-level understanding of geothermal and empowering states to address technical needs like working with geothermal resource data, the Geothermal Power Accelerator initiative will ultimately create a body of “first movers”—states that are equipped to develop state-level geothermal policies and regulations, accelerate geothermal project development, and ultimately collaborate with and provide examples to other states.
The Office of Geothermal announced the Accelerator in January 2026 and NASEO commenced the effort with a series of strategy sessions and policy discussions. The Accelerator will also support states with technical assistance from DOE’s national laboratories. This technical assistance will help states on topics such as:
- Navigating geothermal regulations and permitting
- Geothermal technology and costs
- Understanding geothermal financing
- Geothermal resource assessment and data management
- Stakeholder engagement and geothermal outreach
- Innovative geothermal use cases and grid impacts
Learn more about the Geothermal Power Accelerator on NASEO’s website and the Office of Geothermal’s community engagement efforts.