Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $5.5 million for 10 new projects to apply machine learning techniques to geothermal exploration and production. Machine learning – the use of advanced algorithms to identify patterns in and make inferences from data – could assist in finding and developing new geothermal resources. If applied successfully, machine learning could lead to higher success rates in exploratory drilling, greater efficiency in plant operations, and ultimately lower costs for geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy is an important part of DOE’s “all-of-the-above” strategy to advance toward energy dominance and ensure a secure, reliable, resilient, affordable, and enduring supply of American energy.

The projects selected by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office focus in two areas: machine learning for geothermal exploration and advanced analytics for efficiency and automation in geothermal operations.

The selected projects include: