Direct Use Geothermal Panel

Topic: How can geothermal direct use contribute to national decarbonization goals? Are past barriers to direct use changing?

Purpose: This panel will focus on how the direct use of earth’s heat can help achieve decarbonization goals. Using earth’s heat directly (with or without heat pumps) for heating and cooling reduces greenhouse gas emissions from homes, businesses, industry, and agriculture. While most decarbonization goals have been focused on the electricity sector, heating and cooling is responsible for direct CO2 emissions (e.g., from natural gas heating) and increased electricity demand (e.g., from traditional heat pumps) that may stress the grid. This panel brings together geothermal direct use project operators, experts, and other stakeholders to discuss how implementation of geothermal heating and cooling technologies can be a key component of the successful transition to a decarbonized energy future. The panel will consider past and present barriers to geothermal direct use, discuss whether those are changing, and identify paths forward for removing those barriers.