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Just In! for March 16, 2024
The weekly newsletter of the New York Geothermal Energy Organization (NY-GEO)
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Just In! is NY-GEO's weekly news feed for members. See more information on memberships here. If we send you a complimentary copy and you're not a member of NY-GEO, it means we value your role in the transition to renewable heating, but without a membership, please don't count on getting Just In! weekly. For past issues, check out the Just In! Archive available on the NY-GEO.org website. | |
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NY-GEO 2024 CONFERENCES –
See details in the 2024 listings in the Events section below in green type.
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NY HEAT Act Enters Budget Negotiations – The NY HEAT Act includes 3 major elements in order to provide New Yorkers with cleaner heat and lower bills:
A. Eliminating the 100 foot subsidy for which NY ratepayers are currently being charged about $200 Million per year to provide new gas pipes and other infrastructure FOR FREE to neighborhoods and buildings where the gas utilities want to expand.
B. Changing state law from a requirement that utilities have to provide gas service whenever requested to requiring them to provide heating service
C. Strengthening New York’s ability to reach its goal of limiting utility bills to 6% of a household’s income.
- The Senate has included A, B and C in their budget.
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Governor Hochul included A and B as well as “$50 million to ensure that customers who fully electrify their homes through the NYSERDA EmPower+ Program do not spend more than six percent of their income on their electric bill”, a very limited form of C.
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The Assembly did not include A and B although they did express an interest in negotiating on A with the inclusion of “workforce development programs to train, retrain, and transition the fossil-fuel workforce”. The Assembly also put forth a version of C that readers have found unclear.
See Renewable Heat Now’s take on the current state of the budget here.
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Clean Energy and Climate Justice organizations held a rally and afternoon of lobbying visits in Albany on Wednesday, March 13th to urge inclusion of the full NY HEAT Act in the final budget. More than a dozen legislators, several of whom are in the front row of this picture, addressed the crowd. Article on the rally and recording here.
Geothermal Tax Credit Cap Increase with Refundability Is in the Senate One-House Budget, But Not the Assembly’s - The NY Senate has included Senator Kennedy’s bill to increase the cap on residential geothermal installation tax credits to $10,000 in their “One House” budget. The budget language also makes the credit refundable for low and moderate-income New Yorkers and those living in Disadvantaged Communities in order to make geo systems more affordable to those with limited tax liability. Despite there being 24 co-sponsor of Assemblymember Rivera’s bill in the Assembly, it wasn’t included in their budget proposal. The proposed budgets will now be negotiated between the Governor, and the leadership of the Senate and the Assembly, with a final budget expected April 1st or shortly thereafter.
A Beautiful Example of the Energy Transition We Need to See – That’s how Renewable Heat Now described the March 13th legislative tour of the geothermal heat pump installation in the Albany Housing Authority’s multi-family Steamboat Square high rise building. From Assemblymember Fahy’s tour invitation to her colleagues: “Steamboat Square housing project is an Albany Housing Authority building located in the South End, a designated Disadvantaged Community. Featuring state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling systems, the energy efficiency project promises not only improved comfort but also significant environmental benefits. Steamboat Square represents a vital focus on addressing the challenges faced by low- and moderate-income households, ranging from public health disparities to environmental pollution and climate change impacts. This initiative showcases our collective commitment to fostering sustainable and inclusive communities.” NY-GEO, Rewiring America, Aztech Geothermal and Assemblymember Neil Breslin cosponsored the tour with Fahy. Link to Assemblymember Gallagher’s tweet on the tour.
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Assemblymembers at the geothermally heated and cooled Steamboat Square – Stefani Zinerman, Steve Otis, Harvey Epstein, Dana Levenberg, Emily Gallagher, Pat Fahy, Chantel Jackson John McDonald, Chris Eachus - More pics here.
NYS Seeks PR Firm to Support for Initiatives – NYSERDA - “The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) issued Request for Proposals (RFP) 5688, seeking proposers with expertise in providing public relations, communications, and stakeholder engagement services. The aim is to raise awareness of and garner support for NYSERDA's goals and the Climate Leadership Community and Protection Act (Climate Act). This assistance will involve developing a narrative around New York State’s clean energy and climate priorities, along with providing rapid response communications services if necessary.” Funding Opportunity Notice here.
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Another Gas Explosion – Woman Dies in Florida Blast – Clickorlando.com - “Mikeanesha Moore, the woman who was critically injured after a possible gas explosion at an Orange County apartment, died on Saturday, according to her family. Moore was critically injured in the explosion at the Woodhill Apartments on March 1, in the 7300 block of Woodhill Park Drive. ‘She returned home at 9:28 (a.m.), and then the gas pipes exploded at 9:33 (a.m.) — not even five minutes later,’ said (Moore’s husband Raven) Fondia.” Article link here.
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City Staffs Up Local Law 97 Enforcement - Mariana Simões – City Limits – “At a City Council hearing this week, the Department of Buildings said it has nearly doubled the number of staff members dedicated to implementing the city’s landmark law to lower building emissions.” Article link here.
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Bard College Adds More Geothermal – Dan Smith, Energy Manager & Special Projects Coordinator at Bard College (notes)… “Bard College has been an early adopter of geothermal, with some systems on campus dating to the late 1980’s. It is the default for all new construction projects, and nearly 38% of the campus building area utilizes the technology. However, converting the rest of the existing building stock is an entirely new set of challenges, especially when infrastructure is 50 to 100 or more years old. The Library Project will be our first effort to transform an existing building, with an oil-fire boiler plant and conventional chiller system, to a ground-source heat exchanger and heat pump plant. We are excited to partner with Brightcore and to tap its technical and financial expertise for this crucial step on Bard’s path to achieve carbon-neutrality.” Brightcore Energy is a member of NY-GEO. Article link here.
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Seth Goldfine Memorial Field & The Charles P. Stevenson Jr, Library - Credit: © Peter Aaron/OTTO
Families with Young Children Conduct a “Play-In” at Governor Hochul’s Office to Demand a Climate Budget – “On March 7th at 3:00 pm, families belonging to Climate Families NYC assembled in Governor Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office to deliver 500 letters for Green and Healthy Schools and the NY HEAT Act to staff. After delivering the letters, families held an unannounced noisy, colorful ‘play-in’ in the office, to send the message, ‘Later is Too Late: Quit playing with our future!’ ”. Article link here.
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NY Times Initial Coverage of Climate Initiatives in the Budget Proposals – Grace Ashford and Erin Nolan – NY Times - “Both chambers proposed allocating millions for climate projects, including electric vehicle infrastructure, heat pumps and solar panels. But the Senate went further, removing a raft of tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry and throwing its weight behind a piece of legislation prized by environmental advocates under which companies that have released a significant amount of fossil fuels into the atmosphere must also contribute to a fund to help the state adapt to climate change. (the Climate Superfund Act - S2129A/A3361A). The Senate also put forth legislation to remove subsidies for gas companies and cap energy bills. (the NYHEAT Act -S2016B/A4592B). Ms. Hochul had embraced a portion of the proposal in her budget, but jettisoned some of the measures that the bill’s proponents said would help keep costs down for ratepayers.” Article link here.
Behind the Scenes on Electrification and the National Building Codes – David Roberts interviews Alexander Kaufman, Senior Reporter, HuffPost – Volts - “In recent years, there have been efforts to update the codes in ways that would encourage efficiency, which aroused opposition from the home builder groups, and encourage electrification, which aroused opposition from the natural gas industry. But these battles are taking place behind a haze of rule changes and code committees and other bureaucratic details that obscure their significance. Luckily, HuffPost reporter Alexander Kaufman has been paying attention. He's been following this story, relentlessly and almost alone in the popular press, since 2019.” Link to podcast and pdf transcript here.
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South Fork Wind Becomes the First Completed Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in the United States - Renewable Energy World – “New York officials have announced the completion of Ørsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind project. All 12 offshore wind turbines have been constructed and the wind farm is delivering power to Long Island and the Rockaways, making it the first completed utility-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. The approximately 130-MW project is located roughly 35 miles off the coast of Montauk. This also follows Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent announcement of two offshore wind project awards, Empire Wind I and Sunrise Wind, for over 1,730 MW and $2 billion in near-term economic development investments.” Article link here.
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Assembly Passes Ban on CO2 Fracking - Luke Parsnow – State of Politics – Article link here. “The New York state Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that would expand the state's ban of the controversial drilling process to extract natural gas to include a newer practice that uses carbon dioxide to extract methane and circumvents the current policy. Fracking was first prohibited in New York back in 2014 and then permanently banned in the 2021 state budget. The new bill, (sponsored by Ithaca area Assemblymember Anna Kelles) which passed the Assembly 98-50, would make it illegal to push methane out of shale using high-pressure liquified carbon dioxide. The measure now goes to the state Senate for consideration.” Article link here.
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Supporters of the CO2 Fracking Ban with Senate Sponsor Lea Webb (middle) and Assembly Sponsor Anna Kelles (far right)
A Heat Pump for Every Home in Northwest Alaska – Nathaniel Herz – Northern Journal – “A roughly $50 million grant from the Biden administration will pay for the installation of new heating technology in every village home in Northwest Alaska, as well as 10 new solar farms and battery storage projects. The U.S. Department of Energy grant will help pay for some 850 heat pumps in 10 villages in Alaska’s Northwest Arctic Borough — a cold, remote region off the road system where residents face prices for flown-in heating fuel that can reach $16 a gallon. The 850 heat pumps represent one for “every residence” in the villages of Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kiana, Kivalina, Kobuk, Noatak, Noorvik, Selawik, and Shungnak, according to the borough’s application... Yearly savings for residents could be $2,000… while that figure could reach $2 million for the full region, according to the Department of Energy.” Article link here.
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Icon points to Ambler Alaska
Why Do We Call a Dirty Fossil Fuel “Natural” Gas – Conrad Swanson – Seattle Tomes – “Turns out that when a businessman captured the gas in western New York around 1821 and sold it as fuel, ‘natural’ was meant to distinguish methane from the other combustibles of the day… Compared to whale blubber or gas from coal, methane burned without sending visible particulate matter, soot and smog into the air. Companies didn’t have to produce natural gas like those other sources… They had a new product, and they sold it as such.” Article link here.
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Liquified Natural Gas 101 – Brian Palmer – Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) “Despite ample scientific evidence and growing public backlash about its dangers to our climate, health, and communities, the liquefied natural gas industry is now bent on expanding. Here’s what you need to know about LNG as our federal government takes a fresh look at its massive environmental impacts.” Article link here.
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Record Climatetech Investment In 2023– Dan McCarthy – Canary Media – Last year, climatetech investment in the U.S. reached a total of $239 billion, 38 percent higher than in 2022. The vast majority of manufacturing investment was in the domestic EV supply chain, followed by solar. Deployment of large-scale cleantech also made a significant leap last year, with utility-scale solar and storage dominating. Household and business purchases of decarbonization tech (EVs dominating), remained by far the largest single bucket of clean energy investment last year. However, the U.S. is still not on track for its Paris Agreement goal of halving emissions by 2030 relative to 2005 levels. Article link here
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Fossil Fuel Industry Lobbying Against State Clean Energy Initiatives Goes Back 55 Years – The Guardian – “The oil industry has fought against government support for clean technologies for more than half a century, the Guardian can reveal, even as vast subsidies have propped up its polluting business model… Trade associations in the US and Europe stymied green innovations under the guise of supporting a “technology neutral” approach to avoiding the damage done by burning their fuels. The same incumbents were happy to lobby for government support when they were getting started, and had continued to benefit from it since…” Thanks to Billii Roberti of Green Choices Consulting for this tip. Article link here.
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Subsidy Upon Subsidy for Fossil Fuels – Inside Climate News – “The International Monetary Fund estimates that fossil fuel subsidies worldwide totaled $7 trillion last year. Of course, in the IMF’s calculation, the largest subsidy of all… is the indirect subsidy the industry enjoys because the price of their products does not include the environmental and climate costs to society.” From the 2nd article at this link.
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Graphic from Wikipedia
The Decline of Coal – Dan Gearino - Inside Climate News – “Coal power took a big step toward the exit last year in the United States, as plants continue to close and the ones that remain are being used less than before. While we’re still a decade—or maybe decades—away from the shutdown of the last U.S. coal plant, the fuel’s role in our energy economy has probably diminished past the point of no return.” Article link here.
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NYS Offshore Wind Projects Back On Track– Maria Gallucci – Canary Media – NYS has selected the 924 MW Sunrise Wind project and the 810 MW Empire 1 project for offshore wind contracts. Developers for both projects had agreements in 2019, but opted to rebid the projects to secure more favorable terms in response to economic disruption from the covid pandemic. New York is aiming to build 9 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035 — the most ambitious near-term goal in the country, and enough to meet about 30 percent of the state’s total electricity needs. Article link here.
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NYS Full Load Definition for GSHP – NYS Utilities - NYS Clean Heat Manual version 11 - The latest program manual revision included a definition change for full load heating to specify 100% of Building Heat Load (BHL) must be covered by heat pumps. GSHP systems can be sized for 90% or more, as long as the remaining 10% can be covered by auxiliary heating. “3.4.3 Ground Source Heat Pumps...Prescriptive Full Load GSHP Incentive... Projects may include electric resistance heating not to exceed 10% of BHL.” This formation is meant to supplement the definition for full load we had published last week. Thanks to Heather Deese and Rona Banai from Dandelion energy for this tip. Article link here, page 32.
Geo Drilling Waste - Department of Environmental Conservation will be holding a webinar on the current regulatory requirements for the proper handling and disposal of cuttings and fluids generated from the drilling of geothermal wells of all depths. See 2024 03 21 in the Events (green typeface) section below.
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Climate Superfund Act is in the Senate’s One-House Budget – NYPIRG Press release: “Both houses of the New York State Legislature unveiled their budget priorities this week … the Senate wants Big Oil to pay its fair share of the state’s rising climate costs by contributing $3 billion a year to a dedicated fund while the Assembly wants taxpayers to continue to eat all those costs and shield Big Oil companies from accountability. The Senate’s inclusion of the Climate Change Superfund Act was applauded by environmental, community, labor, faith and youth organizations, and 100 local elected officials. The houses’ budgets came as Big Oil’s financial reports were released, revealing that they have raked in nearly $900 billion in profits combined for 2021 to 2023.” Press release link here. |  | CA Nurse: Climate Change Is a Medical Emergency – Liza Gross – Inside Climate News - “Barbara Sattler is on a mission to transform the way nurses, physicians and the general public think about threats to health... For Sattler it starts with being able to describe what climate change is. She offered an analogy that any health professional could relate to, based on the dangers of leaving children in cars…’n a sunny day when it’s 80 degrees outside, within 10 minutes, it’s 99 degrees inside,’Sattler said. We’ve all had this experience where we’ve gone shopping, of going back into our car, and it’s hot. That is what’s happening on Earth. It is getting hotter, because we’re not effectively reflecting excess heat.” Article link here. |  | |
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"We know from a recent study that every tenth of a degree in temperature rise that we prevent keeps 140 million of our brothers and sisters in habitable zones on this planet. And nothing has changed my basic conviction about the key: we need to keep building huge movements to finally break the political power of the fossil fuel industry and force the emergency conversion to clean energy." —Bill McKibben
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Released yesterday, this 57-second video continues Yellow Dot Studio’s funky examination of the role National Fuel’s President Donna Decarolis is playing in efforts to slow New York’s move away from fossil fuels
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Frequent Sources for Just In! briefs:
Green Energy Times
City & State First Read
POLITICO Weekly NY & NJ Energy email)
Canary Media
National Building Electrification Network & Sunstone Strategies
Just in! thanks NY-GEO board member John Ciovacco of Aztech Geothermal for his frequent proofreading contributions to this publication and Paul Maliszewski for his work on the briefs.
EVENTS:
*Indicates a New Listing or Updated Information
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2024 03 19 – UTEN Performance Metrics – DPS Technical Conference - 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET – 3 Empire State Plaza, 19th Floor Board Room, Albany, NY - As a follow up to the PSC Guidance Order on Utility Thermal Energy Networks (UTEN) Pilot Projects, the Department of Public Service (DPS) is holding a Technical Conference on establishing consistent performance metrics so utility pilot projects can be more effectively evaluated and compared. UTEN performance metrics to be considered include, but not limited to, the categories of: (1) technical; (2) financial; (3) customer/societal; and (4) safety/reliability. Those interested in submitting comments to this matter (CASE 22-M-0429) and/or participating (in person or via WebEx) should follow the instructions in the Notice of Technical Conference filed 02/28/2024 on this page.
2024 03 20 – NY Renews Albany Rally for the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package, which includes NY HEAT - 10am-4pm ET – New York State Capitol, 89 Washington Ave, Albany NY 12234 - From NY Renews, a group that was key to passing New York’s Climate Law – “We’ll be calling on Governor Hochul and the state legislature to pass key climate legislation along with the People’s Climate Justice Budget to invest in critical climate and environmental justice projects across the state. Together we can kickstart New York’s clean energy transition, lower energy bills for families, and create good, union jobs along the way.” Register here.
*2024 03 21 – Geothermal Drilling Waste Webinar – 5:00 pm ET – “Please join the Department of Environmental Conservation for information regarding the current regulatory requirements for the proper handling and disposal of cuttings and fluids generated from the drilling of geothermal wells of all depths.” Register here.
2024 03 22 – How GSHPs Can Contribute More Than Wind and Solar - 11:30 am ET – Bill Eggertson, President of NetZeroPLUS Canada – IGSHPA Town Hall – Geothermal “Promoting itself simply as energy efficient obscures its value in the wind-solar future and gives no credit to a major source of energy production… In the US, thermal production from GSHP in the residential sector would be 2,000 billion kWh .” Register here.
*2024 03 22 – Results from Annual Survey on Gas - 12:30 pm ET – “Climate Nexus is excited to share findings from our most recent annual survey of Americans' attitudes on gas. Key topics we will cover include electrification policy, gas for home use, and gas exports / LNG." Register here.
2024 03 27 – AEE/ASHREA Clean Energy Symposium – 8:00am - 6:00 pm ET, TEC-SMART, Malta, NY – “The Association of Energy Engineers – Capital Region (AEE-CR) and the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Northeast Chapter (ASHRAE-NE) in conjunction with Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) are proud to host a day long Symposium at the TEC-SMART facility which features a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system and clean energy laboratories to train students to enter the workforce. Symposium attendees will hear a keynote address from US Representative Paul Tonko and participate in full day of workshops on Thermal Energy Networks, Camus Electrification, Heat Recovery Chillers, and other clean energy topics. Engineering professionals can earn 3 PDH credits.” Learn more and register here.
*2024 04 02 – NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Awards Ceremony - 10:00 am ET – AIA Center for Architecture, 536 La Guardia Place, NY, NY. This ceremony will celebrate the winning high performance, clean and resilient design, and construction projects. This $58 million competition showcases innovative and affordable buildings that are setting new standards for New York’s low carbon buildings of the future! We’re told at least one of the winners is a geothermal project. Register here.
*2024 04 04 – Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) on Zonal Electrification with Increased Focus on Emissions and Equity – 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET - According to Building Decarbonization Coalition National Director Panama Bartholomy, PG&E has done “amazing work… mapping their gas and electric systems, overlaid with socio-economic and geographic data. This tool is used by the utility to prioritize zones for clipping the gas grid and electrifying all the end uses in a scaled, neighborhood approach. PG&E has invested a lot in this amazing tool and integrated it well into their planning. They offer it to local governments to help them with decarbonization planning and to serve as a basis for partnership with the utility on projects.” Register here.
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NY-GEO 2024 Conferences
Yes, That’s Plural
We are excited to share there will be two conference events in 2024 with content focused on both the diverse residential and commercial markets in New York State. The programs will include dynamic keynote speakers and panels, educational tracks that are relevant and applicable, and an opportunity to network with exhibitors showcasing products and services that will support and advance your knowledge.
2024 04 08 and 09 – NY-GEO 2024 - Albany – Once again hosted at the Albany Marriott, we bring together the best of the best in the Geothermal Heat Pump Industry. We will open with an exhibitor mixer on April 8 followed by a full day of programming on the 9th with focused attention on Upstate. NY-GEO 2023 maxed out with attendees and exhibitors, so register today if you don’t want to miss out. Check out the Draft Schedule for the Albany conference here.
· To register for Albany and learn more about becoming a sponsor and or exhibitor click here.
· Book your stay at the Albany Marriott by clicking here.
Keynotes Announced for NY-GEO 2024 in Albany – NY-GEO’s annual conference, will take place in 2 locations, Albany, April 9th (with an exhibitor mixer from 4:00 to 6;00 pm on the 8th) and Brooklyn, October. At the Albany conference, Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian will give the opening keynote. Alexis McKittrick, Program Manager, Low Temperature and Geothermal, U.S. Department of Energy, will be the lunch keynote presenter. To learn more and register click here.
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2024 10 21 to 23 – NY-GEO 2024 – New York City – The New York Brooklyn Bridge Marriott will host a two-day conference with sessions and tracks, the NY-GEO Annual Dinner, and a day of local project site tours. This is NY-GEO's first conference Downstate and will emphasize content on how to address densely populated areas and large commercial buildings.
· To register for NYC and learn more about becoming a sponsor and or exhibitor click here.
· Book your stay at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott by clicking here.
NY-GEO Members can attend the conferences at a discounted rate, so now is a good time to renew your membership through 2024.
NY-GEO members: to receive the discounted member rates, employees of your organization must be populated in the member database. Reach out to NY-GEO Executive Director Christine Hoffer at christine@ny-geo.org for assistance.
Not a Member? Click here to Join!
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2024 04 18 – Clean Heat Program Stakeholders Meeting – 9:00-10:00 am ET - (Note: Previously scheduled for March 14) The NYS Clean Heat Utility Joint Management Committee (JMC) will host the next quarterly meeting of the Working Group Series for Participating Contractors and Industry Partners. This series is billed as an ongoing platform for contractors and industry partners affiliated with NYS Clean Heat to discuss program improvements and address questions related to the program. Registration link.
2024 05 28 to 30 – IGSHPA Research Conference - The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is pleased to announce that the next IGSHPA Research Conference will be held at Polytechnique Montréal. This is the fourth in a series of research conferences held in Denver (2017), Stockholm (2018), and Las Vegas (2022). Conference website here
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We NEED Your NY-GEO Member Job Postings – Please add any job openings you may have to our NY-GEO Job Listings to gain visibility and help recruit new employees to your organization. This feature is available to all NY-GEO members, simply log into your account, select the NY-GEO Job Listings in the left toolbar, select Add in the upper right, and complete the form. If you need assistance, let us know at christine@ny-geo.org.
The Building Performance Contractors Association (BPCA) Career Center is here.
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Ongoing – NYSERDA is hiring! The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has ongoing recruitment opportunities. All qualified individuals will be evaluated for each relevant position for which they apply. Check this page periodically to learn about new career opportunities. | |
Become an NY-GEO Member
NY GEO is the driving force in the mass adoption of Ground Source (Geothermal) Heat Pumps for residential, commercial, and utility-scale heating and cooling in New York State. NY-GEO's mission is to grow the geothermal heat pump industry and develop its workforce while educating policymakers building/property developers and residents about the benefits of geothermal heat pumps.
We are a member-funded, non-profit trade organization and we depend on YOUR SUPPORT to expand the use of clean, renewable, geothermal heating and cooling systems for the benefit
of all.
Learn more about the benefits of becoming an NY-GEO member and why your membership is important to advancing GHP, Click here.
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