Real-world examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses

Standout examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses today

Most articles stay abstract. Let’s skip that and start with concrete, real examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses that are already operating at scale.

One of the best examples is the Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center in Seattle, which uses a ground-source heat pump system to provide heating and cooling. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ground-source heat pumps can cut energy use by up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning [energy.gov]. While the Ballard facility is public, the same technology is now standard in many private office buildings, retail centers, and mixed-use developments.

On the private-sector side, Microsoft is a headline example of geothermal energy usage in businesses. At its East Campus modernization project in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft is building one of the largest ground-source heat pump systems in the United States to provide heating and cooling for dozens of buildings. The company has highlighted this geothermal system as a key part of its plan to be carbon negative by 2030.

In hospitality, the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica in Iceland taps into the country’s geothermal district heating network, using geothermal hot water for space heating and domestic hot water. While Iceland is an extreme case, it shows how hotels, spas, and resorts can rely almost entirely on geothermal heat when the resource is available.

Across these and other sites, the pattern is clear: the best examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses are not experimental anymore. They’re mainstream building systems that quietly run in the background, lowering energy bills and emissions for decades.

Commercial building examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses

Commercial real estate is where you’ll find some of the most instructive examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses, especially office buildings and campuses that need year-round heating and cooling.

In the United States, one widely cited example of geothermal energy usage in commercial buildings is Lake Land College in Illinois. The campus uses multiple ground-source heat pump systems across its buildings, which the college reports have significantly reduced utility costs and emissions over time. Educational campuses often act like mini-businesses, with complex building portfolios and long-term operating budgets, so their geothermal projects translate well to corporate campuses.

Developers of Class A office buildings are increasingly using geothermal as a differentiator in tight leasing markets. A modern example is the PAE Living Building in Portland, Oregon, a commercial office building designed to meet the Living Building Challenge. It uses ground-source heat pumps and other high-performance systems to reduce energy demand dramatically. Tenants get lower operating costs and a strong sustainability story for their own ESG reporting.

Retail and mixed-use centers are also moving this way. Shopping centers and lifestyle developments with cinemas, restaurants, and offices have highly variable loads that actually suit ground-source systems quite well. By using the ground as a thermal battery, these businesses can balance heating and cooling needs across tenants.

From a 2024–2025 perspective, the big trend is electrification. As cities like New York, Seattle, and others tighten rules on fossil fuel use in buildings, developers are looking for examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses that show how to electrify heating without blowing up peak demand charges. Ground-source heat pumps are one of the few technologies that can do that reliably in cold climates.

Hospitality and tourism: real examples of geothermal in hotels and resorts

Hotels, resorts, and wellness centers provide some of the most visible examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses.

In the United States, the Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, uses naturally hot geothermal mineral water for pools and spa facilities, while also integrating heat recovery and efficient building systems. While not every hotel sits on a hot spring, the business model is instructive: geothermal heat keeps operating costs stable despite volatile gas prices, and the resort uses the geothermal story as part of its brand.

Internationally, Blue Lagoon Iceland is a famous example of a business built directly on geothermal energy. The resort and skincare brand grew out of the discharge water from a geothermal power plant. The hot, mineral-rich water is used for bathing, wellness experiences, and even product marketing. It’s an extreme case, but it shows how geothermal can be both an energy input and a core part of a company’s value proposition.

More typical hotels in North America are installing closed-loop ground-source heat pump systems under parking lots or landscaped areas. A mid-size hotel can use vertical boreholes 300–500 feet deep to provide heating and cooling for guest rooms, lobbies, and conference spaces. These systems demonstrate one of the best examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses: turning otherwise dead real estate (like a parking lot) into a long-lived energy asset.

As corporate travel rebounds and ESG reporting tightens, large hotel brands are actively seeking real examples of geothermal energy usage to showcase in sustainability reports. Geothermal systems pair well with onsite solar and energy storage, helping hotels move toward near-zero operational emissions.

Manufacturing and industrial: process heat and cooling examples

Manufacturing facilities are energy-intensive, so even a single example of geothermal energy usage in businesses in this sector can translate into large absolute emissions cuts.

One of the most interesting categories is food and beverage processing. Facilities that need both refrigeration and low- to medium-temperature process heat can use geothermal in two ways:

• Ground-source heat pumps for space conditioning and process water preheating
• Direct-use geothermal (where available) for washing, pasteurization, or drying

In the western United States, some dairy and vegetable processors use geothermal hot water for washing and blanching. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that direct-use geothermal applications are well-suited to food processing, greenhouses, and aquaculture [energy.gov]. These are concrete examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses that depend on stable, predictable process temperatures.

Industrial parks are also experimenting with shared geothermal infrastructure. Instead of each tenant building its own boiler and chiller plant, the park developer installs a central geothermal loop that multiple factories tap into for heating and cooling. This model mirrors district heating and cooling systems in cities, but on a business-to-business scale.

From a 2024–2025 trend standpoint, the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. has tilted the economics even further. Federal tax incentives for geothermal heat pumps and clean energy projects improve payback periods for industrial users, making it easier for CFOs to greenlight systems that would have been marginal a decade ago.

Agriculture and controlled-environment examples of geothermal use

Agriculture offers some of the clearest, most visual examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses.

Geothermal greenhouses use either direct geothermal heat (if hot water or steam is available) or ground-source heat pumps to keep temperatures stable in cold climates. In the U.S., states like Idaho, Nevada, and Utah have long histories of using geothermal for greenhouse heating. Growers can extend their season, reduce fuel costs, and stabilize production.

Aquaculture is another strong example of geothermal energy usage in businesses. Fish farms can use geothermal water to maintain optimal water temperatures year-round, improving growth rates and reducing mortality. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy have documented multiple direct-use geothermal aquaculture projects in the western U.S. [nrel.gov].

Controlled-environment agriculture companies—vertical farms, indoor lettuce growers, and herb producers—are now looking closely at ground-source heat pumps as they scale. These businesses run 24/7 and have heavy HVAC loads to manage heat from LED lighting and equipment. Geothermal systems help flatten their energy demand and protect margins in a sector with tight price competition.

If you’re building a business case for geothermal in agriculture, these real examples of geothermal energy usage show how the technology supports both resilience (less exposure to fuel price spikes) and product consistency (more stable growing conditions).

Tech, data centers, and office campuses: cooling loads meet geothermal

Tech companies might be the best-known modern adopters, and their projects offer some of the most instructive examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses.

Data centers are essentially giant heat engines. They pull in electricity, turn most of it into heat, and then spend more electricity getting that heat out of the building. Traditional air-cooled or evaporative systems are water-intensive and vulnerable to high outdoor temperatures.

Ground-source systems change that equation. By rejecting heat into the ground instead of the air, data centers can:

• Reduce water consumption
• Improve cooling efficiency, especially during heat waves
• Stabilize operating conditions for servers

Some smaller data centers and edge facilities in North America and Europe already use geothermal-assisted cooling. While not all publish detailed case studies, the pattern is emerging: as chip densities rise and AI workloads grow, the search for more efficient cooling is pushing operators to look for fresh examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses like theirs.

On the office side, corporate campuses in colder climates are increasingly installing large-scale ground-source heat pump systems. Besides Microsoft’s Redmond campus, other tech and professional services firms are evaluating geothermal as they renovate older buildings to meet internal net-zero targets.

These projects are not just about sustainability branding. They are also about risk management: locking in predictable energy costs and avoiding future penalties or restrictions on fossil fuel use.

Why these examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses work

Looking across all these sectors, the best examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses share a few common features:

• Long-term ownership mindset. Geothermal systems have higher upfront costs but low operating costs and long lifespans (often 25–50 years for ground loops). Owners who plan to hold assets for decades—campuses, resorts, family-owned manufacturers—are more likely to invest.
• Consistent heating and cooling needs. Buildings or processes that run year-round, or that need both heating and cooling, get more value from the ground acting as a thermal battery.
• Available space for borefields or access to geothermal resources. Vertical boreholes under parking lots, fields, or green spaces are common in suburban and campus-style developments. In volcanic or tectonically active regions, direct geothermal resources make even more ambitious projects possible.
• Supportive policy and incentives. Tax credits, grants, and low-interest financing from federal and state programs—especially in the U.S. after 2022—improve the financial case.

From a risk perspective, these real examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses also counter a common misconception: that geothermal is only viable in Iceland-like locations. Ground-source heat pumps work in almost any climate because they rely on relatively stable ground temperatures, not on geysers or hot springs.

For decision-makers, the question is less “Is geothermal technically possible?” and more “Does our site and business model match the profile of successful projects we’ve seen?” The examples in commercial real estate, hospitality, agriculture, and tech provide a strong starting point for that analysis.

Getting started: using these examples to shape your own project

If you’re trying to move from reading about examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses to actually planning a project, a few practical steps help:

• Benchmark against similar facilities. Look for a real example of geothermal energy usage in a building or operation that matches your size, climate, and load profile. A hotel should look at hotels, not data centers.
• Engage experienced designers early. Ground-source systems live or die on design quality: borefield sizing, loop layout, and integration with building systems. The best examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses almost always involve experienced engineering teams.
• Run lifecycle cost analysis, not just simple payback. Because the ground loop can last multiple decades, the economics look better when you compare against multiple boiler and chiller replacement cycles.
• Leverage incentives and grants. In the U.S., the Department of Energy and state energy offices maintain updated information on geothermal incentives and technical assistance [energy.gov].

Ultimately, these examples of examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses show that this is no longer a niche technology. It’s a mature, proven option for organizations that are serious about long-term cost control and decarbonization.

FAQ: Common questions about business geothermal projects

What are some real examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses?
Real-world examples include Microsoft’s East Campus in Redmond using a massive ground-source heat pump system, hotels and resorts like the Springs Resort in Colorado using geothermal heat for pools and space conditioning, agricultural greenhouses in Idaho and Nevada heated with geothermal, and college and corporate campuses using borefields under parking lots to provide heating and cooling.

What is an example of a small business using geothermal energy?
A small manufacturing shop or warehouse in a cold climate that installs a ground-source heat pump system for space heating and cooling is a good example of a small business application. Many independent hotels, car dealerships, and medical offices in the Midwest and Northeast have adopted similar systems to cut utility bills.

Do you need to be near hot springs to use geothermal for your business?
No. Direct-use geothermal (hot water or steam from underground) does require a suitable resource, but ground-source heat pumps work almost anywhere. They rely on the relatively stable temperature of the ground a few feet to a few hundred feet below the surface, not on high-temperature geothermal reservoirs.

Are there examples of geothermal energy being used in urban office buildings?
Yes. Several office buildings in cities like Portland, Seattle, and Toronto use vertical borefields under or near their buildings to provide heating and cooling. These systems are among the best-documented examples of geothermal energy usage in businesses because they are often part of high-profile green building certifications.

How do businesses typically finance geothermal systems?
Businesses use a mix of capital budgets, green bonds, energy service performance contracts, and tax-advantaged financing. In the U.S., federal tax credits for geothermal heat pumps and other incentives can significantly reduce upfront costs, improving the business case for long-lived systems.