Can the heat beneath our feet power Main Street?
That’s the question Xcel Energy wants to answer in Frisco, one of two areas recently selected for the utility’s thermal energy pilot program. This program will test geothermal energy in and around Main Street to see if it can handle the energy demands of a small, remote town.
“This pilot directly aligns with the climate action goals of the town,” reads a staff memo for today’s council meeting. “Moving major commercial and residential heating and cooling away from natural gas and towards a renewable source for energy is directly in line with the town’s goals.”
Even better: Xcel will pay for the entire pilot program, giving Frisco the option to adopt it later.
“The pilot will have a sunset, where it is either continued into a permanent utility or is abandoned, but those details are not known yet as they will be developed as part of the project design through 2026,” the memo continues.
Xcel’s other thermal test site is the Ruby Hill neighborhood in Denver.
Big on thermal
This pilot project was confirmed earlier this year, soon after the state awarded $1.6 million to 16 towns and counties also interested in thermal energy. That award included $34,000 for the town of Breckenridge.
Gov. Jared Polis and his administration call thermal exploration a “low-cost, energy-efficient” alternative for heating and cooling.
“By better using the heat beneath our feet to help us, we are leading the nation in innovative clean energy technologies that save Coloradans money, and protect our air quality,” Polis said in a statement from June. “Investing in geothermal heating technology increases energy reliability and serves as a low-cost energy source.”
Geothermal is one of the few “clean” energy sources supported by the Trump administration, although the Global Energy Monitor says it will not meet energy demands without renewable sources like solar and wind.