DOE is handing $9.5M to eight projects that will tally geothermal’s grid benefits. (DOE)
The GRID initiative has tapped EPRI, along with several universities and national labs, to model geothermal’s economic contributions (including firm capacity, flexible dispatch, and ancillary services). The participants will model regions including PJM, ERCOT, CAISO, and the Northwest.
Why it matters: Geothermal is increasingly prevalent in utility IRPs and data center power strategies…but its grid benefits remain underpriced. The hold-up? The modeling hasn’t caught up. Now, these projects will arm utilities and planners with data that supports more accurate geothermal pricing.