New Haven, Connecticut, has broken ground on an ambitious geothermal energy network that will provide low-emission heating and cooling to the city’s bustling, historic Union Station and a new public housing complex across the street.
The project will play a crucial role in the city’s attempt to decarbonize all municipal buildings and transportation by the end of 2030. As one of Connecticut’s first geothermal energy networks, it will also serve as a case study of how well the technology can both lower energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the state considers promoting wider adoption of these systems.
“The backbone technology is the same kind of pipe you use in the gas system,” said Jessica Silber-Byrne, thermal energy networks research and communications manager for the nonprofit Building Decarbonization Coalition. “They’re not experimental. This isn’t an immature technology that still needs to be proved out.”
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