New England Diary

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Mass. city neighborhood to get geothermal heating/cooling system

Enhanced geothermal system 1: Reservoir 2: Pump house 3: Heat exchanger 4: turbine hall 5: Production well 6: Injection well 7: Hot water to district heating 8: Porous sediments 9: Observation well 10: Crystalline bedrock

Eversource has officially begun a groundbreaking project to implement a one-of-its-kind heating system in a Framingham, Mass., neighborhood. 

“This program is designed to explore whether geothermal networks can be used in combination with, or instead of, traditional energy sources like natural gas or heating oil. To test this, Eversource plans to install and operate a geothermal network in a neighborhood in Framingham, providing indoor heating and cooling to about 150 customers within the one-mile-long loop that pipes 37 buildings (32 residential, five commercial).  

“‘We continue to invest in different kinds of technologies, but that’s not enough,’ said Joe Nolan, the utility’s president and chief executive officer. ‘That’s why we’re so excited to be here today around geothermal. I spend a lot of time on the road, I talk to our investors, I talk to our key decision-makers. This is one of the most exciting opportunities for me to ship now what is going on in geothermal.”’

The Common in Framingham Center

— Photo by Jerem43

#geothermal

#Eversource

#Framingham