The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office announced that registration for the 2024 Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC) is open. The annual competition offers students real-world experience and community engagement in geothermal solutions. Teams from various disciplines compete in technical and policy tracks, working with local communities to design geothermal systems or assess their feasibility.
The competition offers two tracks for teams to compete in: technical and policy.
- Technical Track teams present a qualitative justification for deploying a geothermal district heating and cooling (GDHC) system in the proposed district (community or campus) and a conceptual design of a geothermal system based upon community needs, available resources, and prospective benefits to that community.
- Policy Track teams present a qualitative justification for deploying a GDHC system in the proposed district (community or campus), an analysis of the regulatory environment, financial incentives and economic assessment, including workforce development analysis.
In 2023, the University of Oklahoma won the technical track for designing a geothermal system for a greenhouse in the Osage Nation, while Columbia and Princeton universities won the policy track for proposing an ocean-based geothermal system for the Native Village of Elim, Alaska. Both projects focused on sustainability and community involvement.
The total prize money for the 2024 GCC is $38,000, including $10,000 for first-place teams. Registration for the 2024 competition is open until 7 October. Learn more here.