The geothermal REC market is expanding — is your state next?
Maryland launched in 2012 and expanded in 2021. Virginia followed in 2024. Pennsylvania's PRESS Act is advancing. Several other states in the PJM and ISO-NE regions are evaluating geothermal REC frameworks, driven by the Maryland and Virginia models and the Virginia SCC's December 2024 working group report — described as a potential blueprint for other states.
State Tracker
| State | Status | Grid | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Pending — HB 501 | PJM | Tier I elevation proposed; passed House committee June 2025 |
| New Jersey | Monitoring | PJM | Active RPS with thermal interest; no active geothermal carve-out bill |
| Delaware | Monitoring | PJM | Small state, follows PJM-GATS; monitoring MD/VA models |
| Washington DC | Monitoring | PJM | DC RPS includes geothermal electricity; thermal carve-out not yet enacted |
| Illinois (PJM zone) | Limited eligibility | PJM | PJM-territory IL systems may qualify as lower-class RECs |
| Massachusetts | Limited | ISO-NE | Added renewable thermal to Alternative Portfolio Standard; geothermal eligible under certain provisions |
| Oregon | Limited | WECC | Added thermal energy to RPS in 2016; solar hot water and geothermal heat pumps eligible |
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