Heating at Franklin Field in Dorchester to be converted to geothermal

Following along with one of our Making Sense of Climate recurring topics, Boston goes with a pilot on geothermal.

"As the Boston Housing Authority works toward an ambitious goal of going fossil-fuel free, its path to success could begin at the Franklin Field complex in Dorchester.

Mayor Michelle Wu joined officials from the BHA and National Grid at Franklin Field on Thursday to unveil details of a plan to convert the heating system for 129 public housing units there to an electricity-powered geothermal system. The project would replace the 20-year-old gas-fired boiler in use today.

BHA administrator Kenzie Bok said the idea can be traced back to Wu’s announcement a year ago that the BHA would wean itself off fossil fuels by 2030. BHA officials first considered using air-source heat pumps to replace the aging boiler but found that National Grid’s centralized geothermal proposal would be more cost efficient.

“The first step in going fossil-fuel free is not to put in new fossil fuel infrastructure,” Bok said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/25/business/boston-geothermal-energy/

The Boston Housing Authority will install a geothermal project at the Franklin Filed housing complex in Dorchester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (left) walks into the event with National Grid New England president Lisa Wieland. JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF

The Visual Capitalist: "A Visual Crash Course on Geothermal Energy"

From The Visual Capitalist, this is a good one page view of geothermal energy.

The Visual Capitalist: "A Visual Crash Course on Geothermal Energy"

Follow the link to view the additional information on The Visual Capitalist page for geothermal  ->  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/a-visual-crash-course-on-geothermal-energy/

Ted & I talk microgrids and more in this 18th episode of Making Sense of Climate - 10/25/22 (audio)

FM #870 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 870 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Ted McIntyre, Franklin resident and climate activist. We recorded this via the Zoom conference bridge Tuesday, October 25, 2022.  

In this episode our conversation covered the following topics: 

• Microgrids

• South Carolina residential building auto based

• DPU and municipal aggregation approval cycle

• Building code, stretch code revisions pending

• Offshore cable system

• Mother Jones says ‘microgrids’ are good

This discussion continues our journey understanding the MA roadmap toward net zero and while it helps me “make sense of climate”, we hope it helps with your understanding as well. 

If you have climate questions or Franklin specific climate questions, send them in and we’ll try to answer them in a future session.  

The conversation runs about 40 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Ted 

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-870-making-sense-of-climate-18-10-25-22

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microgrid - Merriam Webster added the word in September

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/merriam-webster-we-added-370-new-words.html   

teaser to come back to microgrids

 

South Carolina massive residential building underway in 'low country' outside of charleston. 

no mass transit, while 55 housing is being built, all are hostage to the automobiles

not sustainable for net zero, or for those 55+ who as they age are going to be standed out there

 

municipal aggregation, we have it, others can't get it

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/16/science/these-communities-want-lower-residents-electric-bills-carbon-emissions-heres-whats-stopping-them/

 

public ownership of utilities I don't think it the answer, we need to ensure appropriate board and oversight of the utilities doesn't create/continue the fossil fuel domination

https://www.repmikeconnolly.org/public_ownership_of_public_utilities

 

Hard to find a good contractor.--- this will be important as we go forward in MA>

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2022/10/8/23387530/home-electrification-heat-pumps-gas-furnace-contractors

 

offshore cable system, rather than extending electric grid above ground

https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/10/18/offshore-wind-transmission-lines-grid

 

microgrids, Mother Jones article

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2022/10/tool-surviving-extreme-weather-mircogrids-distributed-power-batteries/

 

Eversource/Framingham pilot construction updates https://www.eversource.com/content/ema-c/residential/about/transmission-distribution/projects/massachusetts-projects/geothermal-pilot-project

See the page that collects the “Making Sense of Climate” episodes -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/making-sense-of-climate-collection.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Eversource/Framingham pilot construction update

"roughly 100 U.S. colleges and universities have installed geothermal systems on their campuses"

"Often described as a giant tower of Jenga blocks, Boston University’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences shows no outward signs of leading the race to sustainable energy design. No rooftop wind turbines grace its heights; no solar panels are mounted on the multiple roof decks jutting out from the building’s core.

What makes this building unique lies deep underground, where water circulating through 31 geothermal boreholes will supply 90 percent of its heating and cooling needs when the building opens, as scheduled for later this year. Through a process called geothermal heat exchange, water pumped from 1,500 feet underground will draw upon the near-constant temperature that prevails beneath the earth’s surface – 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. 

Even on the coldest New England days, water prewarmed by the earth will be circulated through heat pumps that will further raise its temperature to deliver heat where needed. On warmer days or in heavily occupied spaces where heat builds up even in winter, the heat exchangers will draw on the earth’s cooler temperature to provide air conditioning."

Continue reading about geothermal systems online

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2022/08/geothermal-heating-and-cooling-renewable-energys-hidden-gem/ 

In the summer, heat is extracted from the home, and is discharged into the earth. In the winter, the process is reversed. (Source: Solar Review)

Making Sense of Climate with Ted McIntyre #12 - 06/23/22 (audio)

FM #826 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 826 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Ted McIntyre, Franklin resident and climate activist. We recorded this via the Zoom conference bridge Thursday, June 23, 2022.  

This discussion continues our journey understanding the MA roadmap toward net zero and while it helps me “make sense of climate”, we hope it helps with your understanding as well. 

If you have climate questions or Franklin specific climate questions, send them in and we’ll try to answer them in a future session.  

The conversation runs about 36 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Ted.

Audio file ->  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-826-making-sense-of-climate-12-06-23-22

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Articles referenced in this episode are collected in one PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sseaLTRkhhewVVCEzemgjAmCpohJJJoz/view?usp=sharing 

See the page that collects the “Making Sense of Climate” episodes -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/making-sense-of-climate-collection.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

The report -> https://www.psr.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/hydrogen-pipe-dreams.pdf

Making Sense of Climate with Ted McIntyre #12

Comments open for National Grid's Geothermal Program Implementation Plan until July 29, 2022

Via National Grid US:  

"In Massachusetts, we have submitted our Geothermal Program Implementation Plan to the Department of Public Utilities for approval. Anyone wishing to comment on our plan may submit written comments to the DPU by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 29th, 2022. https://ngrid.com/3Hz1hsf "

You can find the National Grid plan referenced ->    https://www.nationalgrid.com/document/146251/download

Via MarketScreener, we have the link to the plan 

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/NATIONAL-GRID-PLC-34973324/news/National-Grid-Files-Geothermal-Program-Implementation-Plan-40457385/

From their plan: 

"National Grid’s vision for fossil-free heat targets a hybrid approach. Just as we have decarbonized electricity with wind and solar, we can decarbonize the gas system with renewable natural gas and green hydrogen."

 

Comments open for National Grid's Geothermal Program Implementation Plan until July 29, 2022

Deep drilling for geothermal: "It’s a high-risk, high-reward situation"

"Miles below ground, where pressures are intense and temperatures far exceed the boiling point of water, dense layers of super-hot rocks offer the promise of a natural, inexhaustible supply of clean energy. 

Environmentalists have long dreamed of a way to reach those depths to tap the potential geothermal energy in those rocks, but the technological and financial barriers have been too great. 

Now, officials at an MIT spinoff say they believe they’ve figured out how to drill as deep as 12 miles into the Earth’s crust, using a special laser that they say is powerful enough to blast through granite and basalt. "

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/18/science/an-effort-rid-world-fossil-fuels-an-mit-spinoff-plans-dig-deepest-holes-earth/

“By drilling deeper, hotter, and faster than ever before possible, Quaise aspires to provide abundant and reliable clean energy for all humanity"

Related article in Boston Globe
https://apps.bostonglobe.com/science/environment/climate/graphics/2022/03/deep-geothermal-drilling/

Talking with Ted McIntyre - Making Sense of Climate - 01/20/22 (audio)

FM #709 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 709 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Franklin resident and climate activist Ted McIntyre. We recorded this via the Zoom conference bridge Jan 20, 2022.  

We cover the following topics within the realm of climate change

• The 12 points of the MA legislation passes 2021
• Define some key terms (greenhouse gas), net zero, environmental justice, and geo micro-district)

As we did not get to cover all the points of the legislation, stay tuned we’ll schedule at least another session.

The recording runs about 38 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Ted McIntyre. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-709-ted-mcintyre-making-sense-of-climate-change-01-20-22

--------------

Climate related links

From WBUR -> “What you need to know about the new MASS Climate law” https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/03/26/new-mass-climate-law-faq

 

Net zero info:

https://www.carbontrust.com/news-and-events/insights/net-zero-an-ambition-in-need-of-a-definition

 

CommonWealth Magazine on the Maine transmission line

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/mass-financed-power-line-in-maine-is-a-mess/

 

Mass Climate Action links:

https://www.massclimateaction.org/2021_mlp_scorecard

https://www.massclimateaction.org/net_zero

https://www.massclimateaction.org/clean_the_peak

 

Electric buildings:  https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/electric-buildings-2021

 

Video describing the “Geo micro-district”  https://heet.org/2022/01/14/were-on-the-radio/

 

Geo micro-district feasibility study  https://heet.org/energy-shift/geomicrodistrict-feasibility-study/

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

The transportation sector accounts for about 40% of Massachusetts' greenhouse gas emissions. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

What it will take to unleash the potential of geothermal power?

"Untapped potential: There's enough heat inside the earth to meet total global energy demand twice over. But harnessing it requires drilling deep underground and transforming that heat into a usable form of energy. That's difficult and expensive, which is why geothermal power only makes up only about 0.3% of electricity generation worldwide, despite the fact it's more consistent than virtually every other form of renewable energy. However, it's now getting a boost, thanks to a $84 million Department of Energy project to build four demonstration plants. They'll test enhanced geothermal systems, an experimental form of the technology.

Exhausted supplies: The most accessible geothermal resources in the US have been tapped, and it's hard to figure out how many more potential sites may be out there, and where they might be. Some researchers and startups are trying to expand into new places by pumping fluid into impermeable rock to force cracks open. This creates space where water is free to move around and heat up, producing the steam needed for power.

Barriers: Despite geothermal's vast potential, reaching these resources won't be easy. The process has been shown to trigger earthquakes, and despite the injection of government cash, financing geothermal projects can also be a challenge. "

Read the full story from The MIT Technology Review  =>   https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/12/08/1041511/potential-geothermal-power-infrastructure-bill/

What it will take to unleash the potential of geothermal power

"The world’s largest carbon capture plant is seizing the imaginations"

"A half-hour’s drive from Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik, one happens upon a scene straight out of a science fiction movie: Plumes of white steam billow above the Hellisheiði volcanic region. The air is suffused with the unmistakable stench of sulfur — several thermal springs, their mineral-rich waters a favorite of local bathers, are nearby. The rays of a waning sun are no match for the thick cloud cover that hangs over the rough terrain on a crisp early autumn day.

It is here that the future and the present collide in a structure about two stories high. This is the Orca Plant, the world’s largest facility for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air and storing it deep underground. The steam we see is being released into the sky from geothermal drilling sites. The captured CO2 is mixed with water and injected into those holes in the ground.

The Orca Plant, built, owned, and operated by the Swiss company Climeworks, kicked into whirring, carbon-sucking life last month, fueled by geothermal energy from Iceland’s ON Power. While Orca is not the first of its kind in the world, its size and potential have sparked expectations for a revolution in CO2 capture and storage, as well as hope for our rapidly warming planet."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/22/opinion/machines-that-could-save-world/

The Hellisheiðe geothermal power plant, located in the middle of a volcanic field in Iceland. The region is a hub of innovation in realms ranging from climate to food science and is home, most notably, to the Orca Plant, the world's largest carbon capture facility, which began operating last month.MATJAŽ KRIVIC

live reporting - Capital needs - facilities

Capital needs – facilities
Mike D’Angelo

Provided a document in June at the end of the school year was updated and re-estimated for this document

This will be refined again by the time it gets to the capital committee
Does not deal with the High School, only with the other buildings

Projects 1-9 all around Davis Thayer but will put the building into a good position
Elevator, toilets, doors/locks, power wiring
Only the schools built recently have the necessary capacity to support the requirements
Painting and re-carpeting the whole building

Parmenter – renovated in 1987, wearing out now
Kennedy – same issues with power wiring
When and if the projects are done it will provide 30-40 years of sustainability

Remington/Jefferson carpeting has almost doubled since last presented

Rebuilding field behind Horace Mann talked of for a few years

Phone PBX systems in the schools, aggregated lines, reduced number of lines
Upgraded security system at Kelleher/Sullivan, would be appropriate to bring to same level as other buildings in town

Item included for the modulars to remove and update the area after they come out
Cover sheet with details supporting behind it on separate pages

Armenio – like the format with all the back up data
D’Angelo – elevator with require new electrical, separate poles service the building and the modulars. Would need a new 800 AMP service in the building

Davis Thayer is one of the more heavily used fields in town, number is for natural grass, re-sod,

Geothermal?
Installation of terminal units, the unit in the room would blow the heat and air out; those pieces in the buildings are what are actually failing right now

More cameras, digital recording, door controls remotely,
We know whoever enters our buildings, name, time stamped, picture taken
Could be considered a safety issue

Industry still a couple of years away from products that can reduce the cost of making the electricity