The Challenge: Help Communities Evaluate the Potential for Networked Geothermal
Networked geothermal systems offer a clean, renewable, non-combusting way to heat and cool our homes and businesses. They are a multi-building, neighborhood version of geothermal systems that use wells, piping and pumps to pull the earth’s heat out of the ground to warm buildings in winter and pump heat from buildings back into the ground to cool them in summer. Because this technology is relatively new to Massachusetts, municipalities need assistance with community outreach and technical evaluations to bring projects from concept to design.
About Kickstart Massachusetts
MassCEC awarded the nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) $450,000 to help several Massachusetts communities "kickstart" their exploration of utility-scale geothermal networks. HEET identified 13 interested communities with sites offering potential networked geo opportunities. HEET made sub-awards to each community to procure technical consultants and help with community education and engagement. The communities and their consultants are working to complete their feasibility studies in 2025. By supporting these community efforts, Kickstart Massachusetts is developing a pipeline of promising networked geothermal projects that can proceed to more advanced stages of development and potential operation within five years.
2023-2025
Community Outreach
Feasibility Studies
Participating Communities
Program Accomplishments
- Kickstarted 13 communities' exploration of networked geothermal projects to the feasibility stage
- Distributed nearly half the available funding to Environmental Justice communities
- Educated residents and businesses about the benefits of a clean, renewable, non-combustion means of heating and cooling their buildings
- Stimulated interest in networked geothermal systems in additional communities
Please check back soon for results of the studies!