Press Release: DOE Awards HEET $7.8M to Support Heating and Cooling Initiative

DOE Awards HEET $7.8M to Support Heating and Cooling Initiative

BOSTON, December 12, 2024 - HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), a leading proponent for an ethical transition to thermal energy, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) to receive funding that will help expand community geothermal heating and cooling systems! In this second phase initiative, we’re partnered with Eversource Energy, the City of Framingham and Salas O’Brien for the construction phase of a community-scale geothermal system. If the plans, once submitted, are approved by the Department of Public Utility, this will be the first utility-owned community geothermal network to connect to an adjacent operational loop, establishing guidelines for the interconnection and growth of geothermal networks. It is designed to connect to the first Framingham geothermal network commissioned earlier this year.

These community-scale systems will use geothermal energy to provide heating and cooling to buildings - residential and commercial - through an underground distribution network. Using this renewable energy source for heating and cooling can help communities across the country meet their energy needs, drive down costs, and create local jobs. GTO’s initiative features urban/suburban and rural communities using a range of system sizes, technologies, and innovations—offering diverse case studies that will help other communities see how they can also implement community geothermal.

“We are honored to receive this funding from the DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office as part of the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling initiative, and to show how geothermal energy networks can be interconnected to increase efficiency, build resilience, and decarbonize at the scale and speed we need to achieve our climate goals,” said HEET’s Executive Director Zeyneb Magavi.

“We are thrilled we have been chosen by the DOE, along with HEET and the City of Framingham, to continue expanding on our work of providing geothermal energy to our customers in Framingham,” said Nikki Bruno, Eversource Vice President of Clean Technologies. “This is great news for the future of clean energy and our Massachusetts customers. This opportunity will allow us to continue building on the collaborative partnership with HEET and the City of Framingham to advance our collective clean energy goals. I'm so proud of the work of our team creating a nation-leading roadmap to make networked geothermal a reality for utilities in the future.”

“We are excited to have been selected by the Department of Energy, alongside HEET and Eversource, to further expand the nation’s pioneering utility-networked geothermal project right here in the City of Framingham,” said Mayor Charlie Sisitsky. “This innovative project not only showcases Framingham's commitment to sustainable energy solutions but also sets a precedent for other communities across the nation. By harnessing the natural heat from the earth, we are taking a significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and promoting renewable energy sources. Our collaboration with HEET and Eversource exemplifies the power of partnerships in driving forward clean energy initiatives.”

“Salas O’Brien is excited to be part of the HEET, City of Framingham, and Eversource expansion loop project and honored to be selected for the next phase of the grant program,’ said Brian Urlaub, Director of Geothermal Operations at Salas O’Brien. “The team collaborated and worked diligently on putting an exceptional grant application together and its exciting to see this project move to the next phase as the first of its kind in the country. This project has tremendous opportunities for learning more about network geothermal systems which I believe were key to being awarded the grant.”

For information about the selected communities and their projects, visit GTO’s website.