VERMONT GEOTHERMAL IN THE NEWS
Networked geothermal systems are making the news as a clean energy solution for Vermont.
Two recent articles highlight a new bill, H.242, to establish thermal network utilities as a way for advancing geothermal and other kinds of thermal energy in Vermont.
A more equitable solution is networked geothermal, where a utility owns the pipes in the ground and delivers water at about 50F. That is warm enough for a ground-source heat pump to work very efficiently. By paying the utility for the water by the month, the upfront cost is dramatically reduced, and more people can benefit from this technology.
Another benefit is that the utility can be the existing gas company, providing jobs for the declining fossil-gas workforce. In areas without a fossil-gas company, other entities may step in and form utilities to reduce the upfront cost of ground-source heating. In New York state, there are already seven electric and gas utilities that are setting up thermal utilities with pilot projects underway.
We can invest in ground-source networks in our communities that are underground and out of sight, rather than paying for excess wind turbines and solar panels. To make this happen, we must pass a bill in the Vermont statehouse, H.242, which will allow the formation of regulated thermal utilities to equitably share this technology in cities, towns and neighborhoods around Vermont.
Read the full commentary in VTDigger here.
Many of these points also come up in the Energy News Network article below on H.242 and the potential of geothermal energy in Vermont for both utility and community ownership.
Vermont commentary by Dan Costin
Renewable Energy Department Chair, Vermont Technical College
Dan contributed to the pitch for our networked geothermal Network Action Team and continues to provide key consulting. Thank you to Dan for this op ed.
EXCERPTS FROM VTDIGGER
Vermont Gas Systems is seeking possible sites for its first networked geothermal project, in which multiple buildings would be connected to a system that provides emission-free heating and cooling via underground pipes.
The systems have no visual impact because they are underground. The pumps are significantly more efficient than other forms of heating and cooling, “and if the electricity being used is renewable, you can envision a really, truly decarbonized future,” said Jake Marin, senior emerging technology and services manager at Efficiency Vermont.
“It’s a near-perfect overlay of our current business model,” said Richard Donnelly, director of energy innovation at Vermont Gas Systems.
“An electric cooperative, a homeowners’ association, a municipality, a large fuel dealer — they could become utilities so they could access the capital needed and recover their costs over time,” said Debbie New, a community organizer who helped draft and is promoting the legislation.
Read the full article and learn more about the bill H.242 here.