May 28—The University of Colorado Boulder received $675,000 from the state on Friday to explore the feasibility of incorporating geothermal energy on campus.

Geothermal energy is the use of heat from the Earth to create renewable energy. CU Boulder will use the money to conduct two feasibility and design studies for geothermal projects that could enable on-site geothermal electricity production for millions of square feet.

“Geothermal energy, the heat beneath our feet, is an underutilized resource that can save people money on energy and improve air quality,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a release. “Colorado is already a national leader in low-cost renewable energy, and now with these grants, we are supporting more geothermal energy across the state.”

According to the release, developing geothermal energy resources in Colorado “is essential to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while creating stable, good-paying jobs” and ensuring affordable and reliable access to clean energy,

CU Boulder received the funding through Colorado’s Geothermal Energy Grant Program which aims to advance the use of geothermal technology statewide. CU Boulder’s funding was part of $7.7 million awarded to geothermal energy projects in the state on Friday.

“Geothermal energy has tremendous growth potential for application in the United States, and we are grateful to the state for this funding that will help us further explore the application of both geo-exchange and geothermal resources for the campus,” CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano said in the release. “The proposed studies will advance CU Boulder’s energy and climate action goals as we seek to reduce climate impacts for the benefit of Colorado residents, CU Boulder students, faculty and staff, and the local and regional community.”

The funding comes after CU Boulder released its updated Climate Action Plan in April, which outlines campus climate goals to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and zero emissions by 2050.

The first study, funded with a nearly $500,000 grant, will examine the use of geothermal energy in the Williams Village residence halls. If successful, the campus would create a geo-exchange to extract heating or cooling energy from the natural ground temperatures. The project could result in geothermal heating and cooling investment on campus to replace CU Boulder’s dependence on steam and fossil fuel-generated heat.

The second study will explore the availability and feasibility of using deep geothermal resources to generate heat and power for the campus. Funded with roughly $175,000 from the state, the study’s results could lead to the addition of cogeneration plants on campus that produce geothermal energy and create new job opportunities.

Electricity is produced from geothermal technology by sourcing high-temperature heat from deep down in the earth to create steam that is then converted into electricity. CU Boulder plans to begin the studies in July or August.

“We are excited to begin work on our geothermal electricity generation scoping and community district heating design studies,” CU Boulder Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability Chris Ewing said in the release. “We are thrilled to begin working with the Colorado Energy Office, RMH, Eavor Technologies, NREL, Major Geothermal and the Boulder community on these important studies and are excited about the opportunities that may be generated from them.”