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Earlier this month, Eversource and the town of Framingham announced a first-in-the-nation geothermal system that will heat and cool 36 buildings in a neighborhood using water, wells, piping, and pumps drilled about 700 feet underground.ย
Instead of relying on the burning of fossil fuels, geothermal energy draws on the earthโs steady temperature of about 55 degrees to warm buildings in the winter, and pumps heat from the buildings back into the ground in the summer to cool them. A mix of water and antifreeze flows through a mile-long loop buried below the ground, and descends into wells where it is heated or cooled, depending on the time of year.
While geothermal energy is being tested in other places, including on college campuses, the Framingham project is notable because it was devised by a utility company in partnership with climate advocates, and it was installed as a shared system for an entire neighborhood.ย
โWeโre committed to delivering New Englandโs vision of a clean energy future and determining if networked geothermal systems are a viable option to affordably heat and cool homes and businesses,โ Eversource said on its website.ย
The Framingham Fire Department, Framingham Housing Authority, Gulf gas station, and Framingham Public School Welcome Center are among the participating businesses, as well as 31 residential buildings. About 88 boreholes were drilled at drilling sites near the neighborhood over the last year, during which crews installed pumps, wells, and pipes throughout the networked system. Approximately 135 Eversource customers are connected to the system, and itโs part of an effort to meet Massachusettsโs decarbonization goals. The pilot project first came online on June 4, and will span about two years.ย
