Geothermal Energy

Guillaume Backe | David Battye | Bassam Dally
Gus Nathan | Yung Ngothai

Geothermal energy comes from within the Earth itself and represents a very large untapped storage of thermal energy. It is available almost everywhere on Earth but, unlike solar and wind power, is not intermittent. It has virtually no CO2 emissions and geothermal plants are modular, scalable and have a small environmental footprint on the surface.

Geothermal energy can be accessed via a range of methods, but the latest methods involve technologies which exploit sites deep in the Earth, such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems.

The CET undertakes research to enhance the integration of geothermal energy with other energy sources and into the broader energy system as well as develop innovative cooling systems with low water and energy consumption. Work is carried out in collaboration with the South Australian Centre for Geothermal Energy Research, a newly established, world-class centre for geothermal energy research.