Geothermal tech initiatives may lessen strain on electric grid

Salisbury, Md. – As Maryland’s energy rates are some of the most expensive in the country, emerging residential geothermal may be a way to offset those costs. Geothermal involves digging several hundred feet to provide consistent heating and cooling to homes.

Officials say this kind of technology, which is increasingly being utilized in new homes, could help offset energy costs as data centers strain the electricity grid Maryland shares with 12 other states. Dandelion Energy, headquartered in Arlington, Va. is a producer of residential geothermal technology. CEO Dan Yates said, for homeowners, their electric bills would be half of what they would be with an alternate solution.

“And then from the state and the grid perspective, it’s even better because the system uses only a quarter of the electricity on the hottest and the coldest peak days,” he said. “And so the amount of grid infrastructure you need is literally 25% of the standard. And that’s a big part of why the State of Maryland has gotten involved in this, in this kind of project.”

Yates said three key programs have enabled the state to accelerate the adoption of geothermal. First, he said, are Geothermal Renewable Energy Credits (GREC), allowing residents with qualifying geothermal heat pumps to earn rebate credits. According to Carbon Solutions Group, Maryland is the state to have a specific carve-out for GRECs, however Virginia is also in the process of adding a carve-out.

“The second is utility demand-side management incentives, so when you build one of these systems, there’s often thousands of dollars of money available through the local utility. And then third is the Maryland Energy Agency getting involved with these grant programs,” Yates said.

On Maryland’s Lower Shore, Governor Wes Moore helped secure almost $2.5 million to install a geothermal system at Berlin Intermediate School designed to achieve net-zero energy operations.

In a statement, Superintendent of Schools Annette Wallace said in part:

“By modernizing our facilities with energy-efficient technologies, we are creating healthier learning environments for students and staff while reducing long-term operational costs and supporting Maryland’s sustainability goals.”

Geothermal fields are also being installed at the Blackwell Hall, new student center coming soon to at Salisbury University, making it one of the first net-zero buildings in the state’s University System.