Beaver dams might look like scattered piles of sticks in the water but they serve an important role in offering protection and a training ground for young beavers to learn dam-building skills. In Beaver County, Utah named after the many beaver dams in the region another project has successfully been providing benefits to its community: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office's (GTO) largest initiative, the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE).
Deep in the heart of this rocky area in the western United States, FORGE researchers, scientists, and other professionals are working hard to advance enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). FORGE has realized many achievements in EGS since GTO launched the initiative in 2015 including becoming a full-scale underground research laboratory with eight wells covering more than 10 miles drilled in total.
As the site continues to grow toward its technical goals for EGS, FORGE staff also educate and engage with local residents and students to increase awareness about the clean energy that can be harnessed through the heat beneath their feet. Their outreach work in this area is proving valuable to help local officials, residents, and businesses understand geothermal energy, and in forging substantive relationships and understanding with the community as they've expanded the technical capacity of their site.
The staff's dedication to improving basic knowledge of geothermal technologies is clear throughout its outreach activities. "They're very visible, they're here all the time, they're talking all the time," said Beaver County Commissioner Tammy Pearson of the FORGE team at DOE's Enhanced Geothermal Shot summit in 2023. "They do quarterly reports with our commission. They are really integrating in the education system, in our elementary schools and the high schools. I think they are just so consistent in their visibility and engagement."
In November 2023, the team held a workshop for teachers to learn more about the "heat beneath our feet" and FORGE's work (check out their resources for teachers). In addition, FORGE's outreach team has visited several classrooms and even created a geothermal song parody contest for students. The FORGE team also works to develop and distribute resources to K-12 and university-level students and supports classroom activities and science fairs.
"The best part of our job is engagement in the community," said Mr. Katis. "I like to joke that you could poll any number of politicians from around the country and they're going to know less about geothermal than the sixth graders at Beaver's three elementary schools."
In addition to working with schools, FORGE's strong standing in Beaver County affords the research site opportunities to join community-wide initiatives. For instance, the Natural History Museum of Utah included Utah FORGE and its efforts to advance EGS research as the first in a series of rotating displays in its new permanent exhibit, "A Climate of Hope." The landmark display was designed to inspire Utahns to work toward a world with a thriving clean energy future.
FORGE also hosts booths at events where they can answer questions, raise awareness of geothermal energy, and build relationships. In 2023, the team's exhibit visits included the Beaver County Fair, where FORGE participated in the pre-fair elementary school field trips and 800 students came to the site to learn about heat transfer. FORGE has also taken its booth to the local University of Utah's Welcome Week, Midvale Harvest Days, the Geothermal Rising conference, and Utah STEMFest, where 14,000 attendees came to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math.
Just like beavers passing along the skills to build a dam to their young, FORGE is working to help the community and future generations learn about the importance and benefits of geothermal energy. And in the process, they are modeling to other geothermal or renewable energy projects what it looks like to successfully spread understanding and make lasting connections with their local communities.
Not every project has the capacity to pursue FORGE's level of activity, but every project needs to bring the thoughtfulness and intentionality around integrating with the community that FORGE displays. In fact, an increasing amount of DOE funding requires community outreach in the form of Community Benefits Plans to ensure projects bring economic and other benefits to the community. Reaching the nation's geothermal and clean energy goals will require introducing clean energy technologies in hundreds or even thousands of communities; as FORGE demonstrates, investing in relationship-building is a necessary and productive part of that work.
Check out FORGE's website for more on their research and resources for community outreach, and catch all the team's exciting updates by subscribing to their email list. To hear more about the importance of integrating the local community in geothermal efforts, watch the Environmental Justice and Community Engagement in Geothermal Energy panel from the Enhanced Geothermal Shot summit.
Click here to read the original press release.
For more information
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