Geothermal Frontier: A new tool to accelerate collaboration and close research gaps in next-generation geothermal energy
Next-generation geothermal technologies have the potential to deliver clean, firm power across wide geographies, by tapping higher-temperature resources beneath much of the globe. Realizing that potential, however, depends on collaboration within and even beyond the geothermal community. But right now, it is not always clear which research groups have the equipment, capabilities, and expertise to tackle key barriers to deploying geothermal anywhere it is needed on a global scale. That lack of visibility slows collaboration, investment, and technology development; gaps first identified in Clean Air Task Force’s (CATF) Bridging the Gaps report series.
To close that gap, CATF has launched a new, free-to-use tool: the Geothermal Frontier Knowledge Sharing Platform.
A tool built to connect the whole geothermal community
Different groups run into this visibility problem in different ways: researchers can struggle to find collaborators or spot an open research niche; industry teams can’t always locate a lab equipped to run the tests their project needs; governments may not know where their country is leading the way on geothermal or where research gaps remain, making it harder to target research funding for the greatest impact; and investors often lack a direct line to experts who can vet what they are hearing from industry.
To address these problems, the Geothermal Frontier Knowledge Sharing Platform gives all four groups a shared, searchable resource that they can also help improve.
What does the platform offer?
The platform hosts profiles for research groups and institutions, each showing:
- The research areas a group is currently engaged in, or planning to pursue;
- Testing capabilities, including maximum temperature and pressure; and
- Details on key projects underway
A global map tab rolls this information up by country, showing an aggregated view of the expertise and capabilities available in each participating nation.
Together, these features create the conditions for collaboration and knowledge exchange all while building global visibility into research labs and centers of knowledge. This helps bridge gaps across technology maturity levels to open new pathways to innovation.
Help build the platform
If you’re reading this and have already completed the survey to have a profile added to the Geothermal Frontier Knowledge Sharing Platform, thank you for your contribution! If you have not yet done so, we encourage you to complete the survey and share it with your network. The more of the geothermal and research ecosystem that takes part, the more useful the platform becomes for everyone, and the faster we can unlock the full potential of geothermal for all.
Explore the Geothermal Frontier Knowledge Sharing Platform here.
