GeoPowering the West is a commitment to dramatically increase the use of geothermal energy in the western United States.
The GeoPowering the West (GPW) initiative identifies geothermal opportunities and facilitates the development and deployment of geothermal technologies. While primarily focused on the geothermal resource rich western states, GPW supports deployment, market transformation and technology diffusion throughout the nation. The GPW initiative has developed technical assistance and outreach activities in partnership with state energy offices, utilities, other federal agencies, tribal governments, and geothermal industrial stakeholders.
GPW develops relationships with policy and decision makers to expand the use of geothermal resources as an environmental alternative that will increase economic development. GPW addresses the following areas:
- Transactional Costs: Break down institutional barriers to decrease project transactional cost.
- Technical Unfamiliarity: Make decision makers aware of geothermal benefits and resource locations.
- Power Market Process: Make utilities, power generators, and regulators aware of geothermal benefits. Need "field-leveling" policies.
- Leasing, Permitting and Public Policies: Address policy constraints of land use plans, and federal and state requirements.
- Environmental, Tribal, and Public Perception: Address environmental problems, both real and imagined.
Quick links to News and Reports
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
- Farm Bill Section 9006
- Geothermal Small Business Workbook
- National Geothermal Collaborative announces issue briefs
- Geothermal Industry Applauds Senate Energy Bill (PDF 71 KB)
- State Legislative Report - "Geothermal Energy: A Primer on State Policies and Technology" (PDF 195 KB)
- Opportunities for Near-Term Geothermal Development on Public Lands in the Western United States (PDF 347 KB)
- Washington State University offers geothermal development guides and case studies.
- Geothermal biz.com Newsletter and Calendar of Events
- Renewable Energy Development on Tribal Lands (PDF 1.1 MB)