The Ecology Underground coalition: building a collaborative future of belowground ecology and ecologists
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Evolve Central Appalachia presentation at the SSEB CORE-CM Webinar
The C2SAGES project evaluated the feasibility of a community geothermal system for the planned Windy Ridge affordable housing development in Hinesburg, Vermont. Led by GTI Energy with Vermont Gas Systems, LN Consulting, NREL, and Frontier Energy, the work assessed technical design, energy performance, costs, business models, community engagement, maintenance, workforce development, and permitting. The proposed system was designed to serve 100% of the development’s heating, cooling, and domestic hot water loads. Compared with a baseline using air-source heat pumps and natural gas water heating, the geothermal system was estimated to reduce HVAC and domestic hot water energy use by about 45% to 48%, lower operating and maintenance costs, and reduce 30-year life-cycle costs by 37% for Phase 1 and 10% for Phase 2. Technical testing and modeling indicated that the Windy Ridge site is suitable for a community-scale geothermal system. The project also developed borehole field layouts, piping concepts, pump house designs, controls, maintenance plans, and supporting engineering drawings. The business model analysis found that first cost, ownership structure, and customer affordability remain major deployment challenges. Utility-led maintenance and operation were viewed favorably, but traditional utility cost-recovery models may require subsidy or revised financing structures to be practical for affordable housing. Community engagement highlighted the need for clear public education, transparent financing, reliable long-term maintenance, trained technicians, and the potential to pair geothermal systems with weatherization. Overall, the report concludes that community geothermal is technically feasible and offers meaningful energy, emissions, and life-cycle cost benefits, but broader deployment will depend on workable financing models and workforce readiness.
Through the Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) engaged the Highland Park Stakeholder Coalition to scope four technical assistance work areas to address their energy needs and goals. This slide deck addresses the highlighted tasks under work area "A" related to the city's streetlights. Due to economic collapse, the City of Highland Park negotiated repossession of it's neighborhood streetlights to help pay its debt to its power provider, DTE. Without street lighting on residential streets, public safety was at risk. Local community-based-organization, Soulardarity, began installing off-grid solar street lights to improve visibility for vehicles and pedestrians in Highland Parks neighborhoods. Residents and leaders of the community who served on the Communities LEAP Coalition requested NREL review a financial model Soulardarity proposed to operate a city-wide solar streetlighting program on the City's behalf. The coalition also requested NREL identify examples of similar implemented city-wide solar street lighting programs.
The Village of Questa, New Mexico is aiming to become a regional clean energy hub with robust and diverse employment opportunities for the local community supported by the energy sector and by other businesses inspired or attracted by abundant clean energy, outdoor recreation, and cultural opportunities. A coalition of stakeholders in the Village of Questa, comprising the Village, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC), Questa Economic Development Fund, and Chevron, is exploring options to develop hydrogen production facilities as an opportunity to create jobs, provide reliable clean energy, and utilize former mine resources. Questa is home to a molybdenum mine owned by Chevron that closed in 2014. Several residents in Questa and surrounding communities lost their jobs when the mine closed and transitioned from active operations into environmental remediation. Although remediation efforts have been ongoing since 2014 and are expected to continue for at least 16 more years, the number of jobs with Chevron is much smaller now than it was before the closure. Between available workforce, brownfield land, and water rights formerly supporting mine operations but now in a transition period, there are considerable local resources that could be directed toward clean energy generation. Questa's electricity supply is already 100% solar during daylight hours thanks to Kit Carson Electric Cooperative's (KCEC's) strategic decision-making and partnering over the last decade. Now, Questa, KCEC, and Chevron are exploring the potential costs and benefits of siting an electrolytic hydrogen production facility and additional solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Questa to further advance the region's clean energy economy. In this report, we estimated the potential economic impacts (i.e., jobs, value added, gross output, tax revenue) of constructing and operating a combined hydrogen (32 MW polymer electrolyte membrane electrolizer + 7.5 MW fuel cell) and solar facility (22.5 MW) in the Village of Questa, as well as the resulting economic spillovers to Taos County and the state of New Mexico. We employ an input-output model that leverages IMPLAN's economic data for the region complemented by construction and operating expenses estimated by NREL and feedback from the local coalition to evaluate the direct, indirect and induced effects of the project construction (transient impacts) and operation (more permanent impacts). Based on the area's average trade profile, feedback from the coalition and current market conditions, these projects are expected to support 487 full-time equivalent jobs during construction, generating $\$24$ million in income for those workers and $\$82$ million in local economic activity in the state. Of those jobs, 106 are expected to be construction sector jobs. These investments are also estimated to add $\$36.5$ million to New Mexico's gross state product (GSP). In the Village of Questa, we estimate 16 jobs will be supported in construction and transportation industries, generating $\$0.9$ million in earnings. In Taos County, the construction phase is expected to support 285 jobs primarily in construction and professional services, while manufacturing jobs dominate the results for the Rest of New Mexico. The Village is also estimated to receive $\$0.9$ million in tax revenue from the construction phase alone. Once in operation, the project continues to impact the state and Questa. Around 20 jobs (full-time equivalent for each year of operation) are supported across New Mexico, with approximately 11 directly employed in Questa by both facilities. The total annual local economic activity supported by ongoing operations is just over $\$1.3$ million/yr, generating $\$1.6$ million/yr in additional income in the state. Annual operations are estimated to add $\$2.1$ million to the state's GSP. The Village is expected to receive around $\$43,000$/yr in tax revenue. Impacts vary significantly depending on which businesses are supplying materials, equipment and services, and where construction workers reside. Choosing local suppliers will most benefit Questa and the New Mexico economy, adding up to 500 jobs during construction and 13 long-term jobs. Local and state governments may consider ways to incentivize local businesses in order to maximize economic benefits.
The Village of Questa, New Mexico is aiming to become a regional clean energy hub with robust and diverse employment opportunities for the local community supported by the energy sector and by other businesses inspired or attracted by abundant clean energy, outdoor recreation, and cultural opportunities. A coalition of stakeholders in the Village of Questa, comprising the Village, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC), Questa Economic Development Fund, and Chevron, is exploring options to develop hydrogen production facilities as an opportunity to create jobs, provide reliable clean energy, and utilize former mine resources. Questa is home to a molybdenum mine owned by Chevron that closed in 2014. Several residents in Questa and surrounding communities lost their jobs when the mine closed and transitioned from active operations into environmental remediation. Although remediation efforts have been ongoing since 2014 and are expected to continue for at least 16 more years, the number of jobs with Chevron is much smaller now than it was before the closure. Between available workforce, brownfield land, and water rights formerly supporting mine operations but now in a transition period, there are considerable local resources that could be directed toward clean energy generation. Questa's electricity supply is already 100% solar during daylight hours thanks to Kit Carson Electric Cooperative's (KCEC's) strategic decision-making and partnering over the last decade. Now, Questa, KCEC, and Chevron are exploring the potential costs and benefits of siting an electrolytic hydrogen production facility and additional solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Questa to further advance the region's clean energy economy. In this report, we estimated the potential economic impacts (i.e., jobs, value added, gross output, tax revenue) of constructing and operating a combined hydrogen (32 MW polymer electrolyte membrane electrolizer + 7.5 MW fuel cell) and solar facility (22.5 MW) in the Village of Questa, as well as the resulting economic spillovers to Taos County and the state of New Mexico. We employ an input-output model that leverages IMPLAN's economic data for the region complemented by construction and operating expenses estimated by NREL and feedback from the local coalition to evaluate the direct, indirect and induced effects of the project construction (transient impacts) and operation (more permanent impacts). Based on the area's average trade profile, feedback from the coalition and current market conditions, these projects are expected to support 487 full-time equivalent jobs during construction, generating $\$24$ million in income for those workers and $\$82$ million in local economic activity in the state. Of those jobs, 106 are expected to be construction sector jobs. These investments are also estimated to add $\$36.5$ million to New Mexico's gross state product (GSP). In the Village of Questa, we estimate 16 jobs will be supported in construction and transportation industries, generating $\$0.9$ million in earnings. In Taos County, the construction phase is expected to support 285 jobs primarily in construction and professional services, while manufacturing jobs dominate the results for the Rest of New Mexico. The Village is also estimated to receive $\$0.9$ million in tax revenue from the construction phase alone. Once in operation, the project continues to impact the state and Questa. Around 20 jobs (full-time equivalent for each year of operation) are supported across New Mexico, with approximately 11 directly employed in Questa by both facilities. The total annual local economic activity supported by ongoing operations is just over $\$1.3$ million/yr, generating $\$1.6$ million/yr in additional income in the state. Annual operations are estimated to add $\$2.1$ million to the state's GSP. The Village is expected to receive around $\$43,000$/yr in tax revenue. Impacts vary significantly depending on which businesses are supplying materials, equipment and services, and where construction workers reside. Choosing local suppliers will most benefit Questa and the New Mexico economy, adding up to 500 jobs during construction and 13 long-term jobs. Local and state governments may consider ways to incentivize local businesses in order to maximize economic benefits.
Through the Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP), NREL is providing technical assistance to a coalition of stakeholders from Oakridge, Oregon. The coalition includes community-based non-profit organizations, the city government, the local utility, and others. Technical assistance provides analysis and information to support Oakridge stakeholders with their goals to increase energy reliability and resilience in the community, while promoting economic development. The Grid Resilience and Microgrids Learning Session was presented to the Oakridge coalition to provide foundational technical knowledge that can support decision-making about energy-related issues in the community.
From August 2024 to October 2025, 11 Clean Cities and Communities coalitions supported projects to advance transportation goals by gathering input from local stakeholders, and using the resulting insights to develop new plans and programs for local partners. This effort leveraged information and best practices shared during the 2024 E2C Cohort on Integrating Community Priorities into Electric Vehicle Plans and Projects. These coalitions supported partners across the country to develop plans for electric vehicle integration through one-on-one technical assistance and tailored local engagement. This deck summarizes the individual projects completed by coalitions, and the overall reach and impact of all of this program.
Clean Cities and Communities (CC&C) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership that fosters collaboration and innovation to advance transportation energy choices nationwide. More than 75 DOE-designated CC&C coalitions work in urban, suburban, and rural areas to deliver objective technical expertise based on a unique understanding of local markets. As partners with DOE's Transportation Technologies Office (TTO), coalitions build bridges between national priorities and local needs to create transportation energy systems that are affordable, reliable, and secure. Together, coalitions create compounding impacts nationwide that support locally driven energy choices and benefit regional economic development and job growth. This report summarizes the success and impact of partnership activities based on data and information provided in their annual reports.
The presentation will address the varied and diverse ways that NLR provides DOE funding to support Clean Cities and Communities coalition projects. This includes three project approaches: Jumpstart funding, Coalition Building, and Energy to Communities (E2C).
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) facilitates national coordination of the Clean Cities coalitions through its Technology Integration Program. VTO's Technology Integration Program supports a broad technology portfolio that can reduce transportation energy costs for businesses and consumers. Fleets, cities, and regions can use the tools featured in this guide to implement alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. Also learn how Clean Cities coalitions and their stakeholders across the country have used the tools.
Clean Cities and Communities is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership to advance clean transportation nationwide. More than 75 DOE-designated Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation's environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. As partners with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), coalitions work to deploy affordable, efficient, and clean transportation; energy efficient mobility systems; and fuel-saving technologies and practices.
Clean Cities and Communities is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership to advance clean transportation nationwide. More than 75 DOE-designated Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation's environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. As partners with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), coalitions work to deploy affordable, efficient, and clean transportation; energy efficient mobility systems; and fuel-saving technologies and practices.
Geological carbon storage (GCS) projects could involve a diverse array of stakeholders or players from public, private, and regulatory sectors, each with different objectives and responsibilities. Given the complexity, scale, and long-term nature of GCS operations, determining whether individual stakeholders can independently optimize their interests — or whether collaborative coalition agreements are needed — remains a central question for effective GCS project planning and management. To access large, high-quality storage resources, future GCS deployment may increasingly occur in geologically connected sites, where shared geological features such as pressure space and reservoir pore capacity can lead to competitive behavior among stakeholders. In this work, we propose a paradigm based on Markov games to quantitatively investigate how different coalition structures affect the goals of stakeholders. We frame this multi-stakeholder multi-site problem as a multi-agent reinforcement learning problem with safety constraints. Our approach enables agents to learn optimal strategies while complying with safety regulations. We present an example where multiple operators are injecting CO 2 into their respective project areas in a geologically connected basin. To address the high computational cost of repeated simulations of high fidelity models, a previously developed surrogate model based on the Embed-to-Control (E2C) framework is employed. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in addressing optimal management of CO 2 storage when multiple stakeholders with different objectives and goals are involved.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or Laboratory) is one of several national laboratories that support the mission of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Los Alamos Field Office (Field Office). It is located in Los Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico. LANL occupies approximately 40 square miles of land owned by the U.S. Government and under the administrative control of DOE/NNSA. Cultural resources management at LANL is the responsibility of the Field Office’s Cultural Resources Program Manager, with the assistance and facilitation of the LANL Environmental Stewardship Group (ES) Cultural Resources Programs (archaeology and historic buildings), which are part of the LANL Environmental Protection and Compliance (EPC) Division. LANL, which is primarily located on the Pajarito Plateau, is extremely rich in cultural resources. Nearly 2,000 archaeological sites have been recorded at LANL, based on the systematic archaeological survey of ~90% of LANL lands. Most of the known sites (~ 85%) date from the Ancestral Pueblo Late Coalition and Classic Periods of around AD 1150 to 1600. The remaining sites date to the Archaic Period (ca. 5500 BC to 600 AD), the Late Developmental and Early Coalition Periods (ca. 900 to 1200), and the Homestead Period (ca. 1890 to 1942).
The Clean Cities Coalition Network is an example of successful government-sponsored efforts to reduce petroleum use and facilitate collaborative governance across sectors and levels of government within the transportation sector. In 1993, under what is now the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established Clean Cities in response to a requirement in the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 to implement voluntary alternative fuel deployment activities. VTO's Technology Integration Program is responsible for the Clean Cities Coalition Network and many other activities. DOE created a collaborative governance effort that has translated higher-level policy goals into multiple local collaborative practices for more than 30 years.
Over a 12-month period beginning in July 2022, NREL coordinated with a coalition of staff from the City of Richmond and local community organizations to develop and conduct a city-wide building energy use analysis and develop and assess the impacts of various approaches to electrifying and improving energy efficiency of all existing residential and commercial buildings within the city limits. Building on data available through NREL's ResStock™ and ComStock™ analysis tools, the authors looked at potential modeled impacts of building envelope and electrification upgrades on five indicators identified by the community coalition: building energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, utility bill charges and cost-effectiveness, employment impacts, and health and safety impacts. This report summarizes the findings of that research and analysis.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy awarded 13 CORE-CM programs as part of the CORE-CM Initiative, designed to develop the technology and upstream and midstream supply chains to extract rare-earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals (CMs) from the nation’s coal supplies. The intent is to catalyze regional economic growth and job creation while strengthening the use of domestic resources. The Williston Basin CORE-CM Program aims to drive the expansion and transformation of coal and coal-based resource usage within the Williston Basin to produce REEs, CMs, and nonfuel carbon-based products (CBPs). The work constitutes Phase 1 of a long-term program. The objectives of Phase 1 are to identify the existing knowledge base and gaps and to develop a series of assessments/plans, including an initial basinal assessment; a characterization and data acquisition plan; a waste stream reuse plan; a basinal strategies assessment for infrastructure, industries, and business; a technology assessment, development, and field testing plan; a technology innovation center plan(s); and a stakeholder outreach and education plan. The goal of this project is to initiate the development of a new industry in the resource-rich Williston Basin that will catalyze economic growth and job creation through a coalition team of private industry, university, and state, local, and federal government entities. A coalition team of nearly 30 private industry, university, and state, local, and federal government partners was formed for this program. Partners include the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center, Institute for Energy Studies, and Nistler College; North Dakota State University; Montana Tech University; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Critical Materials Institute; North Dakota Geological Survey; South Dakota Geological Survey; U.S. Geological Survey; North American Coal Corporation; BNI Energy; Basin Electric Power Cooperative; Minnkota Power Cooperative; and many more.