DOE’s $1.2 Million Geothermal Workforce Awards Target the People Behind Building Retrofits
Eight teams will advance geothermal heat-pump training programs, with the next phase focused on implementation, workers trained and new hires.
The Department of Energy announced $1.2 million in awards on September 8, 2026, for eight teams developing workforce programs for geothermal heat exchange systems and shallow drilling. Each team receives $150,000 through Phase 2 of the GHP PATHs Prize.
The winning teams move into Phase 3, where they will implement their programs and report results, including workers trained and new hires. The awards support partnerships and training; they are not construction grants for eight new geothermal power plants.
Participants include Born Global’s New England Geothermal Workforce Accelerator, GEI Consultants’ Northeast workforce hub and Northwest GeoExchange’s training initiative. The geographic spread gives the program a regional delivery structure.
Installation capacity is part of project readiness
Analysis: A building owner considering geothermal heating and cooling has to assess the available workforce alongside system design and funding. Training efforts are most useful when they translate into qualified people who can perform the work and support the finished installation.
The transition from a proposed training program to execution is therefore the important milestone. Owners and employers should be able to see what skills a program teaches, how competence is assessed and whether graduates enter relevant jobs.
Regional partnerships could help connect contractors, training providers and potential employers. Their value will depend on practical placement and hiring results, rather than the number of organizations attached to a proposal.
What to watch
Phase 3 reporting should make the outcomes more concrete. For owners assembling retrofit programs, the useful evidence will be a growing pool of trained workers and employers able to use those skills on real projects.
Source
U.S. Department of Energy, September 8, 2026.
Featured image is representative or archival; it does not depict the project or equipment discussed in this article. Geothermal drilling in Nevada, February 2017. Illustrative photograph; not one of the newly selected projects. Photo: Bureau of Land Management Nevada. CC BY 2.0.