Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment

The Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment initiative aims to develop and deploy geothermal district heating and cooling systems in diverse communities across the United States. 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 project announcement web page from the Geothermal Technologies Office.

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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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.