District-Scale Geothermal Energy Pilots

The District-Scale Geothermal Energy Pilots initiative, formerly the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling (CommGeo) initiative, aims to develop and deploy geothermal district heating and cooling systems in communities across the United States and to empower those communities to make decisions about their own energy futures, with input from those affected by those decisions. The projects are designed to meet at least 25% of the heating and cooling needs in each community while addressing environmental justice concerns, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting energy resilience. The initiative also emphasizes workforce development by creating training programs for installing and maintaining these systems. More details can be found on the Office of Geothermal webpage.

Selected projects for Phase 1 involve forming coalitions of local stakeholders, including governments, nonprofits, academia, and industry, to collaboratively design, deploy, and refine geothermal systems tailored to each community's needs. The goal is to create replicable models and case studies that demonstrate the viability of geothermal heating and cooling on a community scale nationwide, with an emphasis on environmental and economic sustainability.

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A myriad of buildings surrounding a globe with the words District-Scale Geothermal Energy Pilots in the center
A diagram of a geothermal district heating solution showing warm and cool water pumping from an energy station to numerous buildings to supply heating and cooling to the entire district

Phase 1 Projects

A total of 11 design projects/locations were selected for Phase 1 and are contributing data to the GDR. The projects span diverse communities nationwide and can be split into three geographical categories: remote, rural, and urban/suburban projects. Remote projects are geographically isolated from reliable grid transmission or population centers, resulting in limited access to centralized energy systems. Rural projects are in towns/unincorporated areas with populations of less than 10,000 that do not fall within a metropolitan statistical area and are not remote. Urban/suburban projects are in cities/towns with populations of 10,000 or more and all communities located within a metropolitan statistical area as defined by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Remote Project

  • Nome, AK

Urban/Suburban Projects

  • Wallingford, CT
  • Chicago, IL
  • Framingham, MA
  • Ann Arbor, MI
  • Duluth, MN
  • New York City, NY

Rural Projects

  • Seward, AK
  • Carbondale, CO
  • Shawnee, OK
  • Hinesburg, VT

Phase 2 Projects

Three projects were selected in Phase 2 to install geothermal heating and cooling systems, including district-scale systems often referred to as "Thermal Energy Networks" or TENs. These projects were downselected from the 11 projects funded in Phase 1 and feature two urban/suburban communities and one rural community that will employ a range of system sizes and technologies.

Phase 2 Downselect

  • Ann Arbor, MI — Lead by City of Ann Arbor
  • Framingham, MA — Lead by HEET
  • Shawnee, OK — Lead by the University of Oklahoma

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