The Western Governors’ Association kicked off Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' WGA Chair Initiative, Heat Beneath Our Feet, with a tour of Colorado Mesa University’s geo-exchange heating system. This system heats and cools 19 buildings covering more than 1.2 million sq ft and saves Colorado Mesa University $1.2 million each year.
Following the tour, WGA hosted a webinar with geothermal experts to discuss how the system works, what opportunities exist for replicating this technology throughout the West, and the challenges to implementation.
Watch the webinar here, and learn more about CMU's geothermal heating and cooling system here.
The Western Governors’ Association recently conducted tours of Hawaii Volcanos National Park, the Puna Geothermal Venture, and the Blue Planet Energy Lab at Pu’uwa’awa’a Ranch with Hawaii Gov. David Ige.
Following the tours, WGA hosted a webianr with geothermal specialists and policy experts to discuss the potential for geothermally generated electricity to stabilize the grid and sustainably power emission-reducing technology like carbon capture plants, green hydrogen production, and electric vehicles.
Watch the webinar here and learn more about the geothermal facilites in Hawaii here.
Following a tour of Boise, Idaho's geothermal heating system, the oldest and laregest in the world, WGA hosted a webinar featuring Claudio Berti, Director and State Geologist at Idaho Geological Survey; Lorenzo Trimble, the Geothermal Program Lead at the Bureau of Land Management; and Jon Gunnerson, Geothermal Coordinator for the City of Boise.
Togeather they discussed the nuances of Boise’s geothermal system and opportunities to replicate this system throughout the West. They also examined strategies for improving the permitting process, and resource assessment mapping to help limit the financial risk of geothermal deployment.
Watch the webinar here and learn more about geothermal mapping here.
