National Laboratories and Facilities

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Energy Program focuses in three areas:

Energy systems research and testing (working to enhance conversion of geothermal energy into heat and electricity) led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Drilling technologies research (for both hardware and diagnostic tools) led by Sandia National Laboratories
Geoscience and supporting technologies research (exploration and resource management) led by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Idaho National Laboratory—Geothermal Program

Since the mid-1970s, INL's Geothermal Program has investigated and developed geothermal resource technologies for both direct use and electricity generation, particularly those resources considered marginally economical. INL researchers are currently working with plant owners and operators in California, Nevada, and Utah to validate technologies to reduce the cost of building and operating geothermal plants. INL is the lead laboratory for the DOE Geothermal Energy Program's geoscience research, focused on characterization and management of geothermal reservoirs. INL researchers are working on numerical simulators to understand fluid flow in reservoirs, particularly the effects of injection on reservoir performance. INL also coordinates the international geothermal program for DOE.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory—Geothermal Technologies Program

NREL's Geothermal Technologies Program, conducted in the Center for Buildings and Thermal Systems, primarily supports DOE's System Development activities, specializing in the heat transfer process and development of advanced cycles. As part of these System Development activities, NREL coordinates Heat and Power Systems Development, an area that address the challenges of significantly reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of the use of the geothermal resource. Heat and Power Systems Development activities focus on identification and validation of cost-effective techniques to convert geothermal energy to electric power and for direct use of geothermal heat. Overall, System Development is a comprehensive research, development and validation program implemented in cooperation with industry to ensure that the technical advances meet industry needs and accelerate the transfer of new technologies.

NREL's geothermal research, conducted in NREL's Center for Buildings and Thermal Systems, primarily supports DOE's Energy Systems component, specializing in advanced power plant systems, small-scale power plants, and direct-use performance.

Sandia National Laboratories—Geothermal Research Department

Sandia's Geothermal Research Department's primary focus is developing well construction technologies to reduce the cost of geothermal wells, and hence geothermal energy. Hard-rock drill bit technology, high-temperature instrumentation, lost-circulation control, rig instrumentation, high-speed data telemetry, and slimhole drilling are areas of emphasis. Sandia is also involved in geoscience aspects of geothermal energy through the development of downhole reservoir characterization tools and exploration techniques. Most of Sandia's projects include industry partners and rely heavily on laboratory and field-testing.