The Western Governors' Association (WGA) is considering an initiative to increase use of geothermal energy in the region. In February, the group convened a workshop at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, bringing together several dozen state and federal officials, industry leaders and utility representatives to discuss the future of geothermal energy.
Supporters believe that geothermal can play an important role in the clean energy transition, but they say its potential won't be unlocked without government investments, utility regulations and other policies to encourage development and help the industry become more cost-competitive over time.
"No energy technology has scaled up or commercialized without government support," said Bryant Jones, executive director of Geothermal Rising, a trade association that advocates for the industry. "Geothermal is playing catch-up, and we need policymakers to think about the specific needs of geothermal when they're looking at energy policy."
Geothermal industry leaders and government officials say permitting challenges at both the state and federal level are slowing the growth of geothermal. Lowering those hurdles is a key focus of the Western Governors' Association initiative.
"With all of these states driving toward 100% grid decarbonization, at some point reliability becomes a massive issue," said Sarah Jewett, vice president of strategy with Fervo Energy and Policy Committee Representative to the Geothermal Rising Board of Directors. "The rest of the states in the West haven't felt the pain on reliability in the way California is, but at some point, they will."
Read the full article here.
