24 JANUARY 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Geothermal Competition Gets Underway Adapted from Information by the U.S. Department of Energy The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 33 teams from 25 U.S collegiate institutions are competing in the 2023 Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC). The goal of the competition is to help students develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining résumé experience in the industry. Not only does the GCC introduce students to the renewable energy field, it also expands their understanding of how geothermal energy can play a meaningful role in the transition to a clean energy economy. This year’s contest features two tracks - the Technical Track and Policy Track. In the Technical Track, 21 teams will design a geothermal heating and cooling system from the ground up for a proposed community of their choosing. The Policy Track will have 12 teams conducting an analysis of the regulatory environment and economic feasibility for a proposed geothermal system. First place teams in each track will receive $10,000 with second place teams in each track earning $6000. Technical Track Teams: Aims Community College California State University, Bakersfield Colorado School of Mines* Massachusetts Institute of Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology Norwich University* Smith College Texas A&M University* The Pennsylvania State University The University of Oklahoma* The University of Tulsa University of Wisconsin-Madison West Virginia University Policy Track: Columbia University and Princeton University Duke University Grand Valley State University and University of Michigan University of California, Berkeley SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and Russell Sage College University of California, Davis University of California, San Diego University of Colorado, Boulder *Collegiate institution with multiple teams competing “We are thrilled to see so many teams and schools in this year’s competition and can’t wait to see what the teams come up with in both tracks to help . . . empower communities to use geothermal,” said Elisabet Metcalfe, communications and stakeholder engagement lead at the Geothermal Technologies Office. The Geothermal Technologies Office has funded the Geothermal Collegiate Competition for more than ten years, supporting workforce development and giving students a chance to gain résumé experience in the geothermal industry while still in school. GEO
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