The testbed imperative

During New York Climate Week earlier this fall, Clean Air Task Force and Bezos Earth Fund co-hosted a closed-door workshop to examine what it would take to establish a shared superhot rock (SHR) geothermal testbed. The session brought together developers, researchers, investors, and policymakers to consider the technical, financial, and governance models needed to launch this next generation of geothermal innovation. These discussions are becoming increasingly relevant now, as many of these ideas begin to inform new collaboration efforts. 

Why Superhot Rock Geothermal 

Superhot rock geothermal has the potential to provide always-available, low-carbon energy nearly anywhere on Earth. Just one percent of the world’s resource could supply more electricity than the entire world currently consumes. Realizing that potential requires moving beyond theory toward demonstration: through testbeds that validate technology, reduce costs, build investor confidence, and bridge the innovation-to-deployment gap for high-capex technologies. 

Inside the Workshop 

The workshop opened with framing presentations by Adriana Elera (Bezos Earth Fund), who reviewed the motivation for the Bezos Earth Fund to engage in this work, Terra Rogers (CATF), who outlined the scale of the opportunity, and Jenna Hill (CATF), who defined the role of a testbed in a roadmap for collaborative innovation. 

A developer panel followed, featuring Lucy Darago (XGS Energy), Lev Ring (Sage Geosystems), Matt Houde (Quaise Energy), Isabelle Chambefort (Earth Sciences NZ), and Sigurður H. Markússon (Reykjavik Energy). Panelists discussed what they would need from a testbed: rapid iteration cycles, the ability to qualify downhole tools, targeted boreholes for different experiments, and governance structures that promote collaboration without compromising intellectual property. Nicole Iseppi from the Bezos Earth Fund provided closing remarks about the importance of innovation and collaboration in next-generation and superhot rock geothermal energy. 

Breakout discussions focused on three themes: 

• Strategic structure and ownership: how to design credible, sustainable governance and clarify roles across public and private actors. 

• Funding and investment: how to balance concessionary capital with private buy-in, and what metrics would make a testbed investable. 

• Milestones and early wins: what short-term proof points could build momentum with funders and policymakers. 

What we heard:

• Balance between public and private roles: Many participants saw public capital covering upfront costs (infrastructure, capex) while private actors drove operations. Examples from Alberta’s oil sands and DOE’s FORGE project were cited as models. 

• Data sharing is critical: Testbeds must generate insights that no single company could achieve alone. Participants stressed that transparency, standards, and incentives for sharing data will make or break the effort. 

• Flexibility over one-size-fits-all: Rather than a single universal testbed, some argued for specialized boreholes focused on different questions—casing integrity, drilling tools, geochemistry, or heat reuse. 

• Global collaboration is possible: Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, and the U.S. were all mentioned as potential anchors. A coordinated international approach could help avoid fragmented standards and build scale. 

• Early wins matter: Clear demonstration of tool survivability at 400°C, credible investor benchmarks, or proof of commercial-ready well designs would give the testbed initiative momentum. 

Next Steps 

Participants emphasized the importance of moving quickly. Next steps could include: 

• Defining a credible governance model and neutral host structure. 

• Identifying priority testbed functions and potential sites. 

• Outlining financing options that attract both public and private capital. 

• Continuing cross-regional conversations to align standards and practices. 

The New York Climate Week workshop confirmed both the urgency and the opportunity of the testbed imperative. Shared infrastructure that lowers risk, speeds learning, and builds trust will move the superhot rock geothermal energy forward at the pace required to meet the needs of the climate challenge. The workshop was a step toward making that vision real, and the conversations sparked there will shape the path ahead.