"Many geothermal tools and resources are located behind paywalls, require memberships, or are otherwise difficult to find, especially for people looking to join the geothermal community," said Jon Weers, data scientist in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Strategic Energy Analysis Center. "These barriers to access can prevent valuable geothermal information getting into the right hands and limit collaboration with communities new to geothermal. GeoBridge aims to remove this barrier by linking those communities to the tools and resources they need."
GeoBridge provides easy access to information on a wide range of geothermal topics, covering everything from geothermal heat pump (GHP) installation to careers in geothermal, educational tools, and cost-saving opportunities for businesses.
To create this new portal, NREL worked with DOE and an advisory board of geothermal experts to identify the information gaps that make it difficult for communities, homeowners, businesses, students, and others to learn about and get started in geothermal.
GeoBridge serves as a launch point, directing interested parties to data and tools, events, educational resources, STEM programs, permitting and regulatory information, and other resources that can be used to understand, evaluate, and discover geothermal opportunities.
"GeoBridge fills an important gap by providing a single, publicly accessible, searchable portal that facilitates easy access to geothermal knowledge and information," said Elisabet Metcalfe, GTO's external affairs lead. "It helps to expand and diversify the current pool of geothermal stakeholders, building a stronger geothermal community and providing opportunities for more Americans to learn about and benefit from geothermal energy."
One example of the need for GeoBridge arose shortly before the site was launched. A historical preservation society reached out to NREL and GTO to learn more about the potential for a closed-loop GHP to be installed in an old movie theater. The historical society's email landed with the GeoBridge team, who had already organized relevant information as part of the content development for the site. The GeoBridge team was able to respond with detailed information on heat pump sizing and pricing, relevant incentive and assistance programs, organizations and communities, and other tools, databases, and services.
"Before GeoBridge, questions like this would get sent to multiple people, each experts in their respective fields, but it could take days to compile relevant information. Now, the answers are in one place. More importantly, the information is now easily discoverable by both people and search engines, reducing the need to send an email in the first place," Weers said.
The current platform is just the start. The team plans to add technical guidance on advanced geothermal topics for a variety of stakeholders, resources on permitting and regulation, and links to open-access tools developed by the national laboratories, DOE, and others in the geothermal market. GeoBridge is also looking to the future of geothermal and plans to provide information on emerging trends, technology and resource needs, hurdles, funding opportunities, and more.
"We want GeoBridge to be useful to people across industries and are always looking for feedback on the platform through our feedback form," Weers said. "Whether you are looking for a conference, hoping to install geothermal heating and cooling in your neighborhood, or applying for a master's program in geothermal, we hope GeoBridge helps you achieve your goals."
