Eversource is building the country's first gas utility-led networked geothermal system in Framingham. Environmentalists hope it can be a model for other gas utilities to wean themselves off of fossil fuels.
On a warm morning last August, a small crew of construction workers drove a 30-foot tall drill through the surface of a parking lot in Framingham. As the drill bit, which was cooled by a steady stream of water, broke through the asphalt and ground through the rocky subsurface, it sent a stream of mud spewing from the hole.
While this technology isn’t new, this is the first time a gas company is building one. And if it’s financially and logistically successful, environmentalists hope it can provide a business model for other utilities to wean themselves off of fossil fuels. A drilling crew bores a geothermal well for Eversource's networked geothermal project in Framingham.
“It's a powerful story: a gas utility building a transition off gas,” said Zeyneb Magavi, an engineer and co-executive director of HEET pitched the idea to Eversource in 2017 and executives there immediately recognized the potential opportunity. In a state like Massachusetts that’s phasing out fossil fuels to tackle climate change, networked geothermal systems give gas utilities like Eversource a growth opportunity and place in the clean energy transition.
Networked geothermal, Bruno of Eversource emphasized, is a clean energy and environmental justice strategy. “The business model, the financial model, the scalability is huge,” she said. “It seems like a no-brainer to me.” Hood said she expected a handful of utilities to join, but the group quickly grew to 23 gas utility members, including some big companies like Avangrid, Southern Company and Dominion Energy.
“I think it’s an incredible opportunity,” said Nicole Abene, senior legislative and regulatory manager for New York at the, an environmental non-profit focused on making buildings more climate friendly. “It gets us to a decarbonized future while keeping jobs, environmental justice and making sure that utilities can still operate.
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