The testbed imperative

A briefing on a workshop regarding the creation of a shared superhot rock geothermal testbed to bridge the gap between theory and deployment for high-capex geothermal innovation.

• Superhot rock geothermal energy is described as a low-carbon, always-available energy source with immense scale; the document states that "Just one percent of the world’s resource could supply more electricity than the entire world currently consumes."
• Workshop participants identified several critical requirements for a successful testbed, including the need for "rapid iteration cycles", the ability to "qualify downhole tools", and governance that allows for collaboration while protecting intellectual property.
• The discussions highlighted a preferred funding and operational model where public capital covers "upfront costs (infrastructure, capex)" while private actors manage operations, citing the DOE’s FORGE project and Alberta’s oil sands as potential models.
• Participants emphasized that data sharing is a make-or-break factor, noting that testbeds should produce insights that "no single company could achieve alone" through the use of transparency, standards, and incentives.
• Potential global anchors for a coordinated international approach to avoid fragmented standards include the U.S., Japan, Iceland, and New Zealand.
• Short-term milestones to build momentum for the initiative include proving commercial-ready well designs, establishing investor benchmarks, and demonstrating "tool survivability at 400°C".

APA

Hill, J. (2025). The testbed imperative. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2025/11/testbed-imperative/

Chicago

Hill, Jenna. The testbed imperative. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/2025/11/testbed-imperative/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hill |first1=Jenna |title=The testbed imperative |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=13 November 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/2025/11/testbed-imperative/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hill2025testbed, author = {Hill, Jenna}, title = {{The testbed imperative}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www.catf.us/2025/11/testbed-imperative/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }