Pilot geothermal heating project breaks ground in Massachusetts

Groundbreaking ceremony of Framingham geothermal heating project of Eversource (source: Eversource)

Utility and services company Eversource has broken ground on a first-of-its-kind network geothermal system in the City of Framingham in Massachusetts. This is a pilot project that is will help evaluate the viability of a geothermal network used in combination with traditional energy sources like natural gas or heating oil.

Eversource first provided details in 2022 on the planned project – a centralized heating network drawing heat from vertical underground pipes that will run a route passing through 45 buildings, about 30 of which are residential.

Eversource will evaluate the pilot program through two full heating and cooling seasons and determine if the technology is a cost-effective option that could be used as part of the unprecedented transition to clean energy sources in Massachusetts.

The energy company’s geothermal pilot program highlights the collaboration necessary between utilities, state and local government, environmental advocate partners like the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) and other stakeholders to combat climate change and achieve decarbonization and electrification goals.

“What we’re hoping to demonstrate is that this technology really is scalable, and it can be rolled out to a larger customer base,” said Eric Bosworth, Senior Program Manager at Eversource.

“We all know that our state and our region face significant climate challenges and our geothermal project in Framingham is a great example of how we’ll build that clean energy future in addition to our investments in technologies like solar, battery storage, electric vehicle charging station and more,” said Eversource President, CEO and Chairman Joe Nolan.

“The City of Framingham is thrilled that Eversource had chosen this community to be the site for the first-ever utility-scaled network geothermal project in America,” said Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky.

Source: Eversource and World Economic Forum