More than $300 million in funding for research and development of geothermal energy has been announced by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu. This now pushes Google.org into second place behind the government in domestic geothermal R & D funding.

The projects funded by this program address a number of issues which are needed in order to further develop geothermal energy, including advanced mapping and drilling research, co-produced power (such as utilizing hot water produced in some oil wells), and exploration of low temperature geothermal (under 300 degrees F, and down to as low as 165 degrees F). Some of these funds will go towards ground source heat pump research and demonstration projects, which do not generate power directly, but which use the energy they do consume for heating and cooling in a much more efficient manner.

This program also puts the United States well ahead of Australia, which last year spent $43.5 million on geothermal research.

The Department of Energy has published a list (PDF) of all 123 projects under this program.