The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Geothermal Centre of Excellence (Geothermal CoE) as part of broader efforts to fast-track the sector’s development.
Its goal, the DOE said in a statement, is to help connect industry to the national laboratories, drive innovation in geothermal technologies, enhance inter-laboratory collaboration and expand geothermal deployment throughout the country.
The new centre was unveiled on 3rd September, 2026 by DOE Under Secretary Kyle Haustveit, alongside leadership from DOE’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
It will be located on NLR’s campus in Golden, Colorado, and operate under the oversight and direction of HGEO, NLR and NETL.
At the launch event, DOE leadership emphasised the importance of the CoE in achieving its goal to accelerate the discovery and development of gigawatt-scale geothermal energy and position geothermal as a competitive domestic source for reliable baseload electricity generation.
HGEO’s Office of Geothermal also discussed current office research, development and demonstration, highlighting how the CoE and its collaborations will augment and build on the Office’s initiatives.
“The United States leads the world in geothermal electricity-generating capacity at just over 4 gigawatts (GW) — however, the nation is tapping only a fraction of its total potential,” a DOE statement noted.
DOE-funded analysis indicates the possibility of significantly more geothermal power, as much as 300 GW or more with technology and policy advances.
It added that cost-competitive geothermal would offer a much-needed source of firm, flexible electricity across the country.
“Expanding domestic generation is a crucial part of President Trump’s agenda and the Secretary’s mandate to advance energy addition and restore American energy dominance,” it noted.
“Adding affordable, reliable energy like that from geothermal is also crucial to support human possibility throughout the world and meet the needs of data centres, industry and communities.”
It said that the Geothermal CoE will help realise DOE’s goals to expand geothermal power by driving innovation and serving as industry’s main entry point to the national laboratories and their range of technical and analytical expertise.
An industry advisory board will provide objective insight into industry-relevant geothermal research needs, accelerate industry-lab partnerships, and advise on the centre’s priorities.
The DOE also highlighted the increasing overlap with the nation’s oil and gas industry.
“Techniques from oil and gas as well as new innovations are helping the United States tap into more of its vast heat resources. At the same time, technical challenges remain to fully realise geothermal’s potential,” the statement noted.
“Geothermal environments are hotter and harsher than oil and gas, so new components and tools are needed for geothermal. In addition, the geothermal industry currently drills a relatively small number of wells per year, and there’s a dearth of data about how enhanced geothermal systems perform over time.
“Research and data are important to de-risk technologies, help projects gain access to capital, and help offtakers and utilities better understand how to integrate geothermal energy."