Oct. 20, 2026
Public investment in geothermal development is increasing rapidly across the globe. As investment accelerates, attention is shifting from whether geothermal testbeds should be developed to how they should be designed.
To function effectively, a geothermal testbed must offer participants clear and predictable rules governing intellectual property (IP) and data-sharing governance. These frameworks must protect proprietary technologies while enabling the knowledge-sharing needed to accelerate innovation and justify public and philanthropic investment.
IP is the mechanism that turns innovation into prosperity, and without it, the economic returns from Canada’s clean energy transition will continue to flow abroad.
The geothermal IP series
As part of an ongoing research collaboration, Clean Air Task Force (CATF) examined how existing research test centres and collaborative R&D programs have addressed these issues and how those lessons can inform the design of future geothermal testbeds. The series is published by CATF in collaboration with the Cascade Institute.
Bridging the Valley of Death: How Test Centers Can Unlock the Geothermal Opportunity [Brief]
Designing for Success: How an Effective IP and Data-Sharing Framework Helps Test Centers Unlock Geothermal Innovation [Brief]
Intellectual Property Frameworks for Geothermal Test Centres: Designing an IP and Data Governance Framework for a Superhot Rock Geothermal Testbed [Full report & summary]