Join clean energy thought leaders as they discuss game-changing technologies and opportunities in the geothermal workforce at NextGen Geo.
Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
March 23, 2021
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Join clean energy thought leaders as they discuss game-changing technologies and opportunities in the geothermal workforce at NextGen Geo. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will host the live virtual event on March 31, 2021, from 1:00–3:30 p.m. ET. This event will highlight industry advances and cash prize competitions designed to engage a wide range of innovators including students, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals.
A panel of DOE and industry speakers, including DOE Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly Speakes-Backman, will discuss current hot topics—and what’s next—in the geothermal industry. To help spur further advancement in America’s geothermal workforce, DOE leadership will be making exciting announcements surrounding multiple competitions at NextGen Geo.
Announcements will include the student teams advancing in the Geothermal Collegiate Competition, the semifinalists for the American-Made Geothermal Manufacturing Prize, and the launch of a prize competition aimed at developing technical solutions for economic extraction of lithium from geothermal brines. These competitions are led by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Geothermal Technologies Office and are administered by NREL.
“Fostering the growth and technical prowess of our American workforce to spur innovation in geothermal and other clean energy industries is one of the Department of Energy’s critical objectives,” said Speakes-Backman. “We look forward to discussing breakthrough geothermal technologies and related opportunities with students, entrepreneurs, and clean energy industry veterans alike.”
Workforce development is a key component of achieving America’s potential for a 26-fold increase in geothermal electricity generation by 2050, as outlined in DOE’s 2019 GeoVision study. Students, engineers, geoscientists, and anyone interested in learning about geothermal industry workforce development opportunities are welcome to attend.
The event will also include a networking event and a special breakout panel for students and industry.