“Massachusetts regulators on Thursday gave National Grid (NYSE:NGG) the go-ahead to study geothermal district energy as an alternative to replacing natural gas pipes that leak.The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) issued an order approving the utility’s $15.6 million, five-year demonstration program, saying it could inform the state’s efforts to understand the role of gas distribution companies in achieving its 2050 climate goals.”*Register for free on rtoinsider.com to read the full article.*‍

“Six times more natural gas is leaking into the skies of Boston than is officially reported, new research shows. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also suggests that gas could be escaping not only from distribution pipelines but from inside businesses and homes as well — a finding that some say may be overstated.”

“Environmental advocates urged Eversource to consider investing the millions of dollars it would take to build the new pipeline in alternatives, such as networked ground source heat pumps, which transfer heat from the ground to warm buildings and pump heat back into the ground to cool them. They note that such geothermal technology has been used for years in Europe, and that the utility has already announced plans for a pilot program of the technology.”

“The science on natural gas’s role in climate change has advanced and the policies enacted by the state have called for nothing short of a transition off of fossil fuels by 2050. That changes the math on pipeline replacement,’ said Ania Camargo, one of the founders of Gas Leaks Allies. ‘The fundamental assumptions that created GSEP have changed,’ she said.”

“Schulman is not an engineer or a scientist. By profession, the 58-year-old is a writer with five novels to her name, and a sixth set to publish next year. But she is also the founder and co-director of an environmental nonprofit called the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET). Founded in 2009, the organization has evolved from focusing on weatherizing buildings in the Boston area to putting an end to natural gas — a mission that could eventually reshape how the entire state and beyond gets energy.”

“As an alternative to hydrogen, Magavi’s GeoBlock concept, also known as a geothermal district, could use existing natural gas rights-of-way to heat and cool buildings.”