The April 22 Wall Street Journal Alternative Energy Supplement showcased a geothermal network being built in Framingham, by New England utility Eversource.
The network ties together new energy-efficient residential properties and commercial properties with solar panels and a small local body of water in a continuous geothermal loop. Several “geothermal boreholes hundreds of feet deep use the relatively constant temperature of the earth to supply heat to the system on cold days or to store excess heat on hot days.”
Given acquisition of the MCI property, Concord will have an ideal location for such a residential/commercial network. A large, cleared area to build the geothermal loop, a new village of energy-efficient homes inside the loop, the commercial buildings of West Concord Center on the south and the new building complex replacing Papa Razzi on the North. The thermal loop can pass through Warner’s Pond on the west side. A large solar array might ideally be located on the former NMI industrial site in West Concord to run the loop pumps and domestic heat pumps.
According to the article, “The Framingham Project, the first of its kind in the U.S., strings together a neighborhood of 31 residential buildings and five commercial buildings and will serve around 140 customers to start. Eversource, the New England Utility behind it, says the project has estimated costs of $14 million after federal and state clean energy tax credits.”
It sounds like the engineering, trade-off study, environmental impact statement, etc., have all been completed and approved, providing a state-specific framework for building version 2.0 in Concord.
Bob Andersen
Maplewood Circle
