HONOLULU — The U.S. Department of Energy has announced up to $338 million in funding to accelerate domestic geothermal energy.

The department said Thursday in a Washington news release that close to $5 million will go to ORMAT Nevada Inc. to use a combination of technologies to locate fault zones within geothermal reservoirs, with initial tests on Maui.
The grants will support 123 projects in 39 states.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the grant money will fund the exploration and development of new geothermal fields and research into advanced geothermal technologies.
Geothermal power is already used in Hawaii.
Puna Geothermal Venture taps the might of Kilauea volcano to generate electricity, providing nearly one-fifth of the Big Island’s power.