Geothermal Planning Grants
Grants of up to $150,000 help Minnesota local governments assess whether geothermal heating and cooling could work for their buildings.
Denne finansieringsmulighed er i øjeblikket beskrevet på engelsk.
The grant pays for planning an installation that heats and cools one or more buildings using heat exchanged with the ground or groundwater. Eligible systems include sealed loops in boreholes, devices that extract and reinject groundwater, and closed-loop devices installed in water supply wells that circulate water without consuming it.
You can fund heating and cooling demand analysis, assessment of equipment to work with the system, geological investigations including test wells, and financial analysis. The grant can cover all eligible planning costs up to $150,000. There is no required match, but your budget must identify any funding needed beyond the award.
Receiving a planning grant does not oblige you to install a system. If the study finds geothermal unsuitable, eligible costs already incurred remain reimbursable; unused grant funds become available to other applicants.
Eligibility
- The current statute allows counties, cities, towns, the Metropolitan Council and the elected governments of federally recognized Indian Tribes located in Minnesota to apply. The closed 2024–25 round was limited to counties, cities, towns and the Metropolitan Council; its FAQ explicitly excluded Tribal Nations.
- A study for a new building is eligible. Assessing the efficacy of an existing geothermal system is excluded. Work within an Investment Grade Audit is eligible only where it meets the geothermal planning and feasibility expenditure categories.
- Contractors and subcontractors must have experience installing geothermal systems. Local contracting laws and procurement policies still apply even though the programme itself has no competitive-bid requirement.
- The statute requires project work to be completed after 1 July 2024. For the documented round, Commerce reimburses only work done after the grant award and signing of the state grant contract.
- For the documented round, complete planning and submit a final report within 12 months of signing the contract. A six-month extension may be requested.
How to apply
- Status
- lukket
- Åbner
- Lukker
- Vilkår for ansøgningsrunden
- This closed round excluded Tribal Nations; the current amended statute includes qualifying Minnesota Tribal governments.
The documented application round has closed. Visit the Minnesota Department of Commerce programme page for programme announcements; its dated update concerns award contracting.
The statute requires an application on Commerce’s form. In the documented round, multiple sites within one geothermal project could use one application, while different projects in different locations required separate applications. A contractor cost bid was required before contract execution, rather than at application. After selection, applicants had 16 weeks to choose a contractor or subcontractor under their local procurement policies. If costs came below the requested amount, the remaining funds became available to other applicants.