Rico Geothermal Coalition Origin Story
Past Rico Geothermal Committee
The 2004 Rico Community Master Plan included a vision for geothermal development in the form of a municipal hot springs, a goal never realized.
The Rico Geothermal Committee existed from 2009-2018
Lead by Rico residents, Barbara Betts, Matt Downer, Rebecca Levy
Facilitated first comprehensive geothermal resource studies with Professor Dr Masami Nakagawa and PhD students from The School of Mines
Concluded with final report in 2018 that included depth, temperature and mapped locations of resource
Continued to pursue funding for studies and project development and eventually folded efforts due to lack of funding
Geothermal Workshop in March 2022 in Rico with Professor Nakagawa and former student's presentations
Revitalized Rico Geothermal Coalition (RGC) consists of 6 local Rico residents, industry partner Teverra and academic partner, Western Colorado University
Awarded Rico Center funding for website development in January, 2024
Awarded $100,000 grant on May 24, 2024 through the Colorado Geothermal Grant Program for Community District Heating/Thermal Energy Network Grant: Scoping Studies (Pre-Feasibility)
Grant Project to begin on Aug 1st
Community Education/Surveying
Resource Assessment/Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Studies
Stakeholder Development
The Present
The new revitalized Rico Geothermal Coalition consists of 5 local Rico residents, industry experts and consultants from Petrolern and Egg Geo, and academic partner, Western University.
Revitalization began with a Geothermal Workshop in March 2022 with Professor Nakagawa and former student's presentations
Networking led to the facilitation of Geothermal Cafes every Fri morning for three months and connections to the industry through Petrolern, a Geoscience and Engineering company
First grant application submitted in Oct, 2022 for DOE Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling System Design and Deployment
