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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Geothermal Project Development

Visit one of the following links for information about developing geothermal energy projects. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

All Geothermal Applications

  • Geothermal Resources Council — National and international industry trade association. Promotes the development of all types of geothermal resources. Periodically schedules a basic introductory course on geothermal energy.

  • Geothermal Energy Association — U.S. industry trade association. Promotes the development of all types of geothermal resources, and provides comprehensive information on existing and planned geothermal power projects.

  • Geothermal-related laws and standards

  • Geothermal small business tools — The Geothermal Small Business Workbook (PDF 3.1 MB) and the Geothermal Money Book (PDF 35.3 MB), both of which give geothermal entrepreneurs, small businesses, and developers the tools and information they need to understand geothermal applications (direct use and small-scale power generation), write a business and financing plan, and locate and obtain financing. The two publications were funded by DOE's Geothermal Technologies Program.

  • An Introduction to Geothermal Permitting  — Written to help geothermal entrepreneurs, small businesses, and developers better understand the seemingly overwhelming permitting process.

Electricity Projects

  • Geothermal Power Generation: A Primer on Low-Temperature, Small-Scale Applications (PDF 60 KB) — Provided by the Geo-Heat Center.

  • Opportunities for Small Geothermal Power Projects (PDF 59 KB) — Provided by the Geo-Heat Center.

  • Small Geothermal Power Plants: Design, Performance, and Economics (PDF 181 KB) — Provided by the Geo-Heat Center.

  • Project economics — Cost information for geothermal power production from different types of hydrothermal resources. Provided by the Renewable Energy Policy Project.

Direct Use Projects

  • Geo-Heat Center — The primary source of data and information about all types of direct use applications. The Center's staff has first-hand experience with hundreds of projects, and provides technical assistance to companies and individuals planning direct use projects. Some assistance is available for free as a result of DOE grants. The Geo-Heat Center is part of the Oregon Institute of Technology.

  • Software for analyzing geothermal direct use system economics — Software for analyzing system economics and performing heat loss calculations for geothermal system components. Provided by the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

  • Vendors — A directory of geothermal consultants and equipment manufacturers, primarily for direct use applications. Provided by the Geo-Heat Center.

GHP Projects