Key Dates: Applications Due: June 30, 2009; 11:59 p.m. EST
Anticipated Award Announcement: End of July 2009
Anticipated Award Distribution: End of December 2009

Program Information: The Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) will facilitate research, development, and demonstration to establish geothermal energy as a major contributor for electricity generation.

Grant Information: Enhanced Geothermal Systems are engineered reservoirs created to produce energy from geothermal resources deficient in water and/or permeability.  DOE is seeking advanced technology to address key aspects of site selection and characterization, reservoir creation and validation, reservoir sustainability, and plant operation and management. The ultimate goal is to make large amounts of the earth's heat available for productive use at economic costs.  DOE will also consider projects to further characterize, stimulate, and validate underutilized geothermal resources, particularly in urban and rural regions with high electricity costs such as Alaska, Hawaii, the eastern U.S., Indian Reservations, etc. This underutilized resource may potentially be re-engineered using EGS technology to produce a commercial geothermal reservoir capable of producing baseload electrical power for transmission to the electric grid or substitution of fossil fuel usage. 

Awards made under this announcement will be cooperative agreements that will include well stimulation and data collection and analysis over three Phases.  The projects funded under this announcement will add to the general EGS knowledge base and/or help accelerate technology improvements in order to fully commercialize unproductive or underproductive geothermal resources.

For More Information: Full grant description and application can be found through www.fedconnect.net and search Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0000092.