DOE selects 21 geothermal projects for more than $99 million in potential support

Five projects will conduct field-scale tests of enhanced geothermal systems; sixteen will undertake exploration drilling. Together, the twenty-one selections represent more than $99 million in potential support. Funding remains subject to award negotiations. [1]

The project descriptions make the distinction concrete. The field tests examine technologies under conditions intended to resemble commercial development. Exploration projects collect evidence about particular resources. A successful test at one site could improve confidence in a method, while a useful exploration result could change the assessment of a location. Neither selection alone establishes an operating power plant. [2]

DOE says resulting data will enter its Geothermal Data Repository. That planned public record may be valuable beyond the recipients: other developers and researchers could use observations from the work to examine assumptions before committing to their own projects. The announcement promises future data; it does not mean the new measurements are already available. [1]

Follow the selected project that addresses your uncertainty: a drilling result, sensor deployment and field demonstration answer different questions. When measurements appear, compare their conditions and methods before applying the result to another site.