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In the NoCo

Colorado is investing in geothermal. Here’s why it matters

Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy office, in a white shirt and blue tie stands near a window.
Courtesy of the Colorado Energy Office
"I think geothermal is going to play an important role going forward," says Will Toor, Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office. "We're talking about a technology that, once you've built it, has incredibly low energy costs and incredibly low pollution that that comes along with it when it comes to heating and cooling our buildings."

Geothermal is having a moment in the spotlight. It hasn’t gotten the attention that wind and solar have as the ‘powerhouses’ of Colorado’s electric grid. But energy officials say it’s time for the state to start building up other sources – including tapping into the heat that’s under our feet.

The state is offering grants and tax credits to support research into new geothermal projects, with the goal of bringing some small- and large-scale projects online in the coming years. Some projects already in place, such as the geothermal system at Colorado Mesa University, are expanding.

With all this activity happening, we wanted to understand more about why geothermal has the potential to help reduce energy costs and stabilize the electric grid.

Will Toor is Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office, which oversees the state’s geothermal energy grant program. He spoke with host Erin O’Toole about why the state is upping its investments in this renewable energy source.

You can see a short, animated video from the Colorado Energy Office about geothermal energy here.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.