In 2022, Rev. Nathan Ives learned that the power bill for his church in Salem, Massachusetts, was jumping from $100 a month to $3,000. The utility provider, National Grid, had adjusted a possibly faulty meter, and Ives found himself stretched thin as he tried to keep the 19th-century space warm and lit. He knew he had to act and saw an opportunity to direct the St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church toward cheaper and cleaner energy sources than its current gas system, Inside Climate News reported.

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Residents are invited to hear the findings from a feasibility study exploring geothermal energy in South Deerfield during a Zoom presentation on Thursday, July 17.

A reader asks: “Can you explain how geothermal energy works and how it can be applied to housing? Is it ‘clean’ energy?” A rookery of new residents will be moving into Franklin Park Zoo next year. When that colony of African penguins arrives next spring, the exhibit that will house the temperate birds will be heated and cooled by the heat of the earth.

Maine is taking a significant step toward affordable, climate-friendly heating and cooling. According to Maine Public, the state legislature recently passed a bill that could pave the way for networked geothermal systems across the state.

Even as Trump has halted other renewable energy projects, the heat beneath our feet may still have a path forward.

Thermal energy networks are being pursued by utilities across the U.S., while state lawmakers are also examining how to foster the development of those networks.