US Geothermal Tax Credits in 2026: What Is Actually Still Alive After OBBBA For an industry that spent more than a decade building financial models around a stable federal incentive structure, 2026 has been a year of whiplash. The 30% federal geothermal tax credit that developers and homeowners built forecasts around is gone in one form and still alive in another, and even the IRS’s own public guidance has been confusing enough to trigger uncertainty across the market. That confusion is not a minor clerical issue. It is shaping investment decisions, contractor sales pitches, homeowner timelines, and project finance assumptions right now. If you work in geothermal, the key question is no longer whether federal incentives exist, but which incentive applies, to which project type, and under what ownership structure. The law that changed the timeline To understand where things stand in 2026, you have to start with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which created a long runway for clean e...
Utah FORGE Makes Geothermal History: Successfully Completes Stimulation and Circulation Tests By: Robert Buluma Unlocking the Earth's Geothermal Energy Potential In a groundbreaking achievement for the geothermal energy industry, the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) at the University of Utah has achieved a major milestone. Through meticulous planning, cutting-edge technology, and a collaborative effort, Utah FORGE has successfully stimulated and circulated two wells, marking a pivotal moment in the quest for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). A Triumph of Collaboration and Innovation The culmination of over two years of planning and analysis, the stimulation and circulation tests represent a triumph of scientific collaboration and innovation. Led by Professor John McLennan and a team of dedicated experts from industry and academia, Utah FORGE achieved outstanding results, setting a new standard for EGS research. Establishing Connectivity: A Break...