Deep geothermal energy

Deep geothermal energy is a promising renewable energy source that harnesses the Earth’s internal heat for sustainable power generation. Unlike conventional hydrothermal systems, which rely on naturally occurring underground reservoirs of hot water and steam, Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) create artificial reservoirs by enhancing permeability in deep rock formations to enable heat extraction. This is typically achieved through hydraulic stimulation, where fluids are injected into the rock to create fractures, forming an engineered geothermal reservoir. A key challenge in EGS is managing induced seismicity. While small earthquakes are a normal and essential part of creating an efficient heat exchanger, seismicity must be carefully controlled to prevent larger earthquakes. 

Past projects such as COSEISMIQ and DEEP have advanced EGS technology by improving seismic monitoring, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies. In particular, they focused on optimizing real-time seismic forecasting and risk assessment tools by implementing innovations such as the Adaptive Traffic Light System (ATLS), which continuously updates forecasting models based on new data. The Utah FORGE project served as a key demonstration site for these innovations.

Building on this foundation, the GEOTWINS project, funded by the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership), is set to bring together commercial operators, startups, and academic institutions to collaborate on the exploitation and demonstration of Digital Twins (DTs) technologies. DTs offer an alternative and innovative solution to the challenges of optimizing and de-risking deep geothermal energy projects. DTs are calibrated virtual replicas of physical systems that enable the physical interpretation of real-time monitoring data and predictive analyses using high-fidelity models to support decision-making. In GEOTWINS, we use digital twin technology to develop workflows that simulate the physical processes of geothermal systems across all stages of operation. Learn more about GEOTWINS here