Whoever thought a traditional utility company and a bunch of climate activists could actually agree on something, let alone build it?
In Framingham, Massachusetts, that unlikely team has created something pretty cool: a neighborhood heating and cooling system powered by the Earth itself.
As PBS NewsHour reported, it's a first-in-the-nation project that delivers cleaner comfort and even saves folks money.
The magic is networked geothermal. Forget drilling a pricey well for every single house. This setup uses a one-mile loop of underground pipes connecting about three dozen homes and town buildings to shared boreholes, according to PBS NewsHour.
These pipes tap into the ground's super-stable temperature — always around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, year-round, at the depths used.
So, how does that heat your house in winter? The International Renewable Energy Agency explained that geothermal simply extracts heat from below ground. Fluid circulates in those shared pipes, soaking up the Earth's warmth when it's cold out or dumping excess heat when it's hot.
This fluid then feeds into electric heat pumps in each building. Heat pumps are already smart movers of heat. Tying them into that steady 55-degree network means they work way less hard than battling freezing or scorching outside air, saving a bunch of electricity.
Just ask Carol Canova, a retired teacher in the pilot program.
"I'd never been in a house that every place in the house was the same temperature," she told PBS NewsHour.
She worried about electric bills but found "it's overall cheaper" than gas. Getting the system installed for free felt incredible.
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Definitely 💯 "When Eversource offered it, I thought, you know what, this is like winning the lottery," Canova said.
This whole idea actually bubbled up from the activists. PBS NewsHour detailed how the nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team was initially focused on fixing ancient, leaky gas pipes. Then came the light bulb moment: Why not swap leaky gas lines for pipes filled with Earth-warmed water?
HEET director Zeybeb Magavi pitched the concept of gas companies becoming "thermal utilities" to the local provider, Eversource. Facing state climate goals, the utility agreed to the pilot.
It's a smart way to use a reliable, clean energy source. IRENA noted geothermal's low cost and 24/7 reliability — a big plus compared to sun or wind power. Because nothing's burning, it avoids air pollution that harms our health. This networked idea isn't the only geothermal innovation happening.
Companies like Sage Geosystems are cleverly using old oil wells and drilling tech for clean power, even exploring energy storage for the Pentagon at Fort Bliss in Texas.
Another company, Rodatherm, is testing a closed-loop system in Utah that skips fracking and groundwater use altogether.
In Framingham, the project is working so well that PBS NewsHour reported plans are set to double its size next year. It's proof that clean, affordable comfort might just be waiting right under our neighborhoods.
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