Los Alamos National Laboratory partnered with the other members of Project GeoForce including Anthem Energy Partners, New Era Advisors, Homestead Resources, Texas A&M University, and Power Planet to put forward geothermal energy solutions that are readily available for government use. The researchers at Los Alamos contributed the Geothermal Design Tool (GeoDT) for project GeoForce.
“Our team is deploying Los Alamos’ GeoDT and Fracture Caging technology to generate no less than 25 megawatts at a price less than 8 cents per kilowatt-hour from unconventional hot dry rock geothermal resources,” said Luke Frash, Project GeoForce lead at Los Alamos. “This opportunity allows us to help a wider audience secure access to affordable energy.”
The Laboratory’s modeling software, GeoDT, is a one-stop shop for prospecting and technology evaluation that allows users to explore the potential of new geothermal energy sites and to understand the economic opportunity before breaking ground. Geothermal energy has the potential to provide cost-efficient energy across the country, and it is an under-utilized resource.According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, only about 0.4% of American energy currently came from geothermal sources in 2023.
“The U.S. Air Force leveraged the Tradewinds solicitation process to quickly collaborate with innovative American companies to build resilient, next-generation geothermal technologies at our bases, using private capital instead of taxpayer dollars,” said Kirk Phillips, director of the Air Force Office of Energy Assurance. With this new partnership, geothermal energy can become an integral and reliable component of the American energy portfolio.
Los Alamos has a long history of advancing geothermal research and development. Starting in the 1970s and for almost 20 years, the Lab ran the Fenton Hill Observatory in New Mexico. The project developed the first enhanced geothermal system in the world by creating a reservoir where there originally was only hot dry impermeable rock.
Frash’s team is bringing geothermal into the future. Their awardable status with Tradewinds will make geothermal energy accessible, affordable, and customizable for the U.S. market.
