Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy

The Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy (GBCGE) is located in the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology within the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and UNR’s College of Science. Researchers in the Center are from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, the Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, and the Desert Research Institute. The Center is a nexus for interdisciplinary research, education and exploration on the geothermal resources of the Great Basin and western United States.

The GBCGE conducts fundamental and applied research, provides educational materials and training at the undergraduate through post-graduate level, organizes multidisciplinary activities in the exploration for new resources, and provides data and information on geothermal resources in the state of Nevada. The GBCGE is involved in identifying and evaluating new and emerging technologies for geothermal energy discovery and resource characterization. Center faculty train MSc and PhD students in geoscience and engineering fields relevant to the geothermal industry and lead the National Geothermal Academy. GBCGE has conducted several regional assessments of geothermal potential in the Great Basin region, involving geologic mapping, geophysical data collection, and geochemical analysis of surface and subsurface water and rock samples. Synthesis and integration of this information is provided in reports, maps and on-line databases. Such information is used by the financial community, the energy user, regulatory and environmental communities, and the geothermal industry, to facilitate new or expanded uses of geothermal energy. Additional information is available through the Center’s web site.