The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced 11 communities across 10 states have been selected to design community geothermal heating and cooling systems. The projects are part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. The projects feature urban, suburban, rural, and remote communities and a range of system sizes, technologies, and geographies—offering diverse case studies that will help other communities see how they can also implement community geothermal. The 11 selected projects, which include more than 60 partners across the United States, will be executed by community coalitions offering skills and expertise in community needs, workforce, design and analysis, and deployment. 

Among the selected projects is Chicago, IL (Lead: Blacks in Green™) a shared community geothermal network across four city blocks containing more than 100 multi-family and single-family residential buildings in a disadvantaged section of the city’s South Side. In the first phase, coalitions will design their systems, finalize project sites and use, assess the geothermal resource, analyze environmental and permitting needs, conduct feasibility analysis and local engagement, and identify workforce and training needs. Based on first-phase outcomes, DOE will select a subset of projects to advance to a second phase and deploy their systems.   

Read the full article released by the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.