Report – Unearthing potential: The value of geothermal to US decarbonization
Report title page, screenshot
Alexander Richter
21 Mar 2022
The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center has released an interesting and detailed overview on the value and potential of geothermal to U.S. decarbonization efforts.
In a webinar last week, the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center hosted a virtual event with Susan Hamm, Geothermal Technologies Office Director at the US Department of Energy; Kathy Hannun, President and Co-Founder at Dandelion Energy; Sarah Jewett, Director of Strategy at Fervo Energy; Teresa Eileen Jordan, J. Preston Levis Professor of Engineering at Cornell University; and Jack Kiruja, Associate Program Officer for Geothermal Energy at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The event was moderated by Zachary Strauss, Policy Analyst at Atlas Public Policy, and Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. A summary of the event can be found here.
The event was held in conjunction with the publication of a report by Zachary Strauss focusing on geothermal energy’s value to US decarbonization, which has now been released.
Achieving US climate goals requires the development and widespread deployment of all available clean energy solutions. Geothermal energy, while currently only a marginal component of the US energy economy, can contribute significantly to the climate action effort. It has the potential to support deep decarbonization through clean baseload generation, efficient heating and cooling, lithium co-production, and a host of other applications.
However, current policy towards geothermal energy has, thus far, prevented the emergence of a vibrant market that would stimulate sector growth. To realize the potential of geothermal energy, public- and private-sector leaders must support policies that encourage geothermal industries and address regulatory, technical, and economic barriers. The report and accompanying two-pager make several recommendations with the potential to optimize US geothermal policy to set the sector up for a central role in the fight against climate change.
- Access the documents here.
The report shares policy options and implementation opportunities, as well as the impact they can have. The elements it loks at are: geothermal permitting and leasing, recognizing geothermal power for its full value, tax credits, and research, development and deployment.
Source: Atlantic Council
