The technology for geothermal heating and cooling of homes has been around for decades, but several factors have prevented this technology from scaling in the United States — until recently. The heating and cooling of buildings is responsible for around 20% of US greenhouse gas emissions, and a greater awareness of the negative impacts of these gasses, combined with an increase in the price of fossil fuels, has created conditions for geothermal energy companies to thrive. Today’s guest is Kathy Hannun, the founder and President of Dandelion Energy, which is privately held, and the largest home geothermal company in the United States. Before founding Dandelion, she was a Rapid Evaluator at X, Alphabet’s innovation lab, where she focused on identifying business opportunities to harness technology for large-scale positive impact. She initiated Dandelion as an X project and then launched it into an independent startup company in May 2017. In today’s episode you will learn about the process behind heating/cooling your house in this way, and the money a household might save by going this route. Kathy also explains how she became involved in the geothermal energy space, and how she and her team are overcoming the challenges of working in this rapidly growing industry.

• Kathy explains how geothermal heating and cooling works in a home environment.