Geothermal Power – the Future is Now

September 25, 2012

The United States Department of Energy is breaking the sound barrier, delivering next generation geothermal energy today.  At the newly reopened Geysers Geothermal Visitor Center, located in northern California at the largest geothermal complex in the world, the spotlight is on the future of geothermal power. Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology—the process of extracting heat from engineered reservoirs through fluid injection into deeper, hotter rock—has the potential to tap an incredible 100+ GW of EGS resource nationwide.

And this month, a $6 million Energy Department investment at The Geysers culminates in 5 MW equivalent of EGS steam on its way to commercial production. The accomplishment is a landmark success for EGS, surpassing a 2014 goal set by the department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to prove the technical viability of this science by 2014.

In addition to this successful EGS demonstration project with Calpine Corporation, the nation's largest renewable geothermal power producer, the Energy Department funded the redesign of their visitor center as a path towards community outreach on EGS technology. To learn more about the Geysers Geothermal Visitor Center project, visit the Geothermal Technologies Program Projects database.