Geothermal Data and Tools

NREL provides data and tools related to geothermal research and technologies to advance the use and integration of geothermal energy.

Data

GDR: Geothermal Data Repository

The Geothermal Data Repository is a submission-based directory of data collected from researchers. The Geothermal Data Repository allows users to search for data related to geothermal technology. Updated GDR features include:

Automated Data Pipelines: The GDR data pipelines create consistency in formatting and contents of similar datasets, lessening preprocessing requirements and ensuring adequate information is provided by a given dataset.

Data Lakes: The GDR Data Lakes reduce barriers to accessing large geothermal datasets by centralizing access to especially large or complex datasets in a universally accessible format, enabling streamlined collaboration and innovation across research and educational communities.

Ask GDR: AskGDR is an AI-powered virtual research assistant that enhances the discoverability and usability of geothermal data within the GDR by providing users with answers to contextual questions about datasets, methodologies, and research applicability through natural language processing.

RE Explorer

RE Explorer provides renewable energy data, analytical tools, and technical assistance to developers, policymakers, and decision makers in developing countries. RE Explorer enables users to make meaningful decisions that support low-emission development and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Techno-Economics and Impact Tools

GEOPHIRES

GEOPHIRES is an open-source, Python-based simulator to perform techno-economic simulations of geothermal systems. GEOPHIRES combines reservoir, wellbore, surface plant, and economic models to estimate output temperatures and heat or electricity production over plant lifetime, as well as capital and operation and maintenance costs, and overall levelized cost of heat or electricity. The tool can simulate both hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems, and electricity production and direct-use heat as surface application. GEOPHIRES can be coupled to external reservoir simulators such as TOUGH2, and, given its modular code design, users can easily build on the framework and implement their own correlations or models.

GETEM: Geothermal Electricity Technology Evaluation Model

The Geothermal Electricity Technology Evaluation Model is a downloadable Excel-based mode that estimates capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, and levelized cost of electricity using user-input data and a set of default information that is based on several resource scenarios that the Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Office has defined and evaluated. Future updates to GETEM will be implemented in NREL’s System Advisor Model.

SAM: System Advisor Model

The System Advisor Model™ is a performance and financial tool designed to facilitate decision-making for people involved in the renewable energy industry. Target users include project managers and engineers, policy analysts, technology developers, and researchers. The Geothermal electricity module in SAM now includes GETEM model calculations and scenario assumptions. This module enables site-based estimation of geothermal power plant performance, costs, and potential revenue (among other financial calculations). Future updates to GETEM will now be implemented in the Geothermal electricity module in SAM.

CREST: Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool

The Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool is an economic cash flow model designed to allow policymakers, regulators, and the renewable energy community to assess project economics, design cost-based incentives, and evaluate the impact of various state and federal support structures. It is a suite of four analytic tools, for solar, wind, geothermal, and anaerobic digestion technologies.

Power and Grid Modeling Tools

reV

NREL’s Renewable Energy Potential model (reV) now includes a geothermal module that allows for several data types to be input as geothermal resource potential—discrete points of geothermal plant performance and depth discrete temperatures. The reV geothermal module allows for detailed assessment of the geospatial intersection of the estimated geothermal resource with grid infrastructure and land use characteristics.

ReEDS

The Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS™) now has improved representation of the effect of geothermal heat pumps on the grid. Users can now explore future scenarios such as grid decarbonization, uncertainty of emergency technologies, and limited land intensive technology types through ReEDS.

ReEDs uses metrics from reV geothermal to compare with other technologies like wind and solar.

NREL researchers are also improving how geothermal plants are represented at fine temporal scales with PLEXOS.

Engage

Engage is NREL’s free, public, map-based web application that models energy systems with high shares of variable generation, from district energy systems and microgrids to countries and continents. Engage was recently enhanced with the addition of templates representing geothermal technologies, including hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems coupled with power conversion technologies, direct use, combined heat-and-power, and combined cooling-heating-and-power.

Heating and Cooling Tools

dGeo/dGen

The Distributed Geothermal Energy Simulation Tool (dGeo) is an NREL-developed tool designed to explore the potential role of geothermal distributed energy resources in meeting thermal energy demands in the United States. dGeo now has updated features to improve estimates of potential geothermal heat pump (GHP) and direct use cases. Updates included providing more accurate predictions of the technical, economic, and market potential of geothermal heat pumps, thermal energy networks, and deep direct use for the United States through 2050.

ComStock and ResStock

NREL’s ComStock™ and ResStock™ tools model existing commercial and residential building stock at a detailed geographic and temporal resolution, an ensemble of nearly one million individual physics-based building energy models. ComStock and ResStock now have the capability to model GHP systems as they perform in the U.S. building stock, allowing for scenario analysis to consider adoption, next-generation system performance, and potential benefits.

REopt

REopt® is a renewable energy integration and optimization web tool. NREL has developed a District Energy Costs module that allows for integration in both REopt and URBANopt to enable life-cycle cost analysis considerations to be included in system design decisions for networked GHP systems.

URBANopt

URBANopt™, an advanced analytics platform for high-performance buildings and energy systems at the neighborhood-, district-, and campus-scale, now includes modeling tools for district-connected and networked geothermal heat pump systems. As an open-source software development kit, commercial software developers can use existing URBANopt modules, customize URBANopt modules, and create new modules to help implement the desired district-scale analysis workflows for their end user tools.

GHEDesigner

GHEDesigner is a Python package for designing ground heat exchangers (GHE) used with GHP systems. The package has been developed collaboratively by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, and Oak Ridge  National Laboratory. It offers several advantages over existing tools on the market, including novel design methodology for automated selection of borehole fields, synthesis of irregularly shaped borehole configurations, and sizing and simulation of distributed and central heat pump systems, with fixed and variable capacities (new feature, under development).

EnergyPlus

NREL develops, maintains, and distributes EnergyPlus®, the U.S. Department of Energy's state-of-the-art, open-source whole building energy simulation engine. EnergyPlus provides detailed and validated physics-based algorithms to accurately model building energy systems, including GHP systems. It is one of the few building energy simulation programs capable of modeling the entire GHP system, including its operation and control strategies. It can simulate building heating, cooling, and process loads, as well as different types of heat pumps and both horizontal and vertical GHEs. NREL is also implementing GHEDesigner and new heat pump models in EnergyPlus to further enhance its GHP modeling capabilities.

Policy and Permitting Tools

RAPID Toolkit: Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop Toolkit

The Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop Toolkit (RAPID Toolkit®) helps users understand federal and state regulations necessary to secure project approval. This tool provides access to permitting information, best practices, and reference material at the federal and state levels for bulk transmission, geothermal, hydropower, and solar energy installations.

Geothermal Policymakers' Guidebook

This document serves as a guide for increased development of geothermal electricity generation. It identifies and describes five steps for implementing geothermal policies that may reduce barriers and result in deployment and implementation of geothermal technologies that can be used for electricity generation, such as conventional hydrothermal, enhanced geothermal systems, geopressured, co-production, and low temperature geothermal resources.

Project Development Tools

GeoRePORT: Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique System

The Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique Protocol can assist in evaluating project risk and return, identifying gaps in reported data, evaluating research and design impacts, and gathering insights on successes and failures. It helps to more objectively and quantitatively compare project potential in geological, technical, and socio-economic areas.

Under Development

Geothermal Prospector Update

The Geothermal Prospector was a visual map tool that brought together geospatial data sets spread across universities and government agencies. The tool is currently retired and discussions on updates are underway. The raw data from the visual map is still available for public download.