By Hannah Grover
The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology will launch a graduate certificate in geothermal energy this fall.
New Mexico Tech’s new program comes amid increasing interest in geothermal energy, which can provide a stable, clean source of energy.
“New Mexico has a strong geothermal potential due to its natural heat sources,” Hamid Rahnema, the department chair of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department, told NM Political Report.
The certificate program is open to students who already have a bachelor’s degree and would like to expand their skill sets. The program is 15 credit hours and can be completed within a year or two. It is designed to cater to working professionals who have a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
“Usually these people are working at the same time and taking these classes,” Rahnema said. Rahnema is one of the faculty members spearheading the geothermal energy program.
The classes include both online and in-person options. The full cost of tuition for the certificate program is $7,890 to $8,570.
The initial certificate program will accept 20 students. People interested in attending the certificate program should submit two letters of recommendation, official transcripts and a resumé. More information can be found here.
The program has two tracks. One of the tracks is ground source heat pumps, direct use and thermal storage. This includes heating residential and commercial buildings using geothermal. The other track is hydrothermal and engineered geothermal systems. That could include utility-scale geothermal electricity production.
Geothermal energy not only has the potential to reduce carbon emissions, it could also create jobs in rural and underserved areas, Rahnema said.
The certificate program is unique to New Mexico Tech. Rahnema said few institutions worldwide provide training in geothermal energy.
“We have tremendous and significant geothermal resources, especially in the Rio Grande reef regions,” Sajjad Esmaeilpour, a faculty member involved in the geothermal certificate program, said.
He said there’s a growing demand for clean and renewable energy everywhere and this is not the first time New Mexico Tech has forrayed into carbon emissions reductions efforts. Esmaeilpour gave examples of the school’s research into carbon sequestration as well as hydrogen energy.
NM Tech has spent 40 years looking into carbon sequestration.
“This is the right time to position New Mexico as a leader in geothermal education and innovation,” Esmaeilpour said. “And this is why we are trying to establish this course to be a pioneer in this region…We are looking to the future that we can grow this industry in this area.”
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