Just In! for February 1, 2025

The weekly newsletter of the New York Geothermal Energy Organization (NY-GEO)

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.

Coalition Forms to Call on Governor Hochul to Release Cap-and-Invest Rules, Cut Pollution, Protect Clean Air – “Today, a broad new coalition, New Yorkers for Clean Air, formed to urge Governor Hochul to cut pollution and protect clean air by releasing the anticipated cap-and-invest rules. After retreating from her signature climate program, the coalition of environmental groups, environmental justice groups, businesses, and community-based and public health organizations is demanding leadership to prioritize the health and safety of New Yorkers over corporate interests.” In the coalition’s roll out press release, NY-GEO Executive Director Christine Hoffer said, “NYCI is structured to ratchet down climate pollution while giving New Yorkers a break on our electric bills. NY-GEO supports the timely adoption of NYCI, and our members stand ready to assist building owners in transitioning to renewable, affordable and emission-free geothermal heating and cooling.”  Link.

Women in Geothermal – geoOutlook – “We are proud to recognize the incredible contributions of the Women of ACT (Advocacy and Communication Task Force), who are bringing much-needed attention to the advances in the geothermal heat pump industry. This dynamic team includes Christine Hoffer from NY-Geo, Dona Kyler from Indiana Geothermal, and Kathy Ridley from Geothermal Alliance of Illinois, they form the backbone of ACT and drive its success.” Link.

Geo Case Study – United Methodist Church in Geneva, Illinois - David Buss, Geothermal Product Manager at Connor Company – geoOutlook – “In summary, the results of this installation have produced a much more comfortable environment for the church, and saved significant amounts of money and energy. They were spending approximately $16,600 a year with the existing system and suffering with all the humidity issues, and now the geothermal system only costs about $7,200/year to operate. So, they are saving $9,000/year, and have eliminated all CO2 production on site… This project was started before the IRA went into effect but lasted long enough to be completed after the new law, so they were able to take that tax credit benefit as a generous bonus to their favorable payback.” Link.

As MIT Aims to Decarbonize, Competing Ideas Focus on Thermal Energy Systems – Phil McKenna – Inside Climate News - “a key difference between the two proposals is that the plans by MIT’s consultant call for a central utility plant with a small number of large heat pumps to generate hot and cold water that would be moved across the campus. Conversely, the proposal from the MIT community would circulate ‘ambient’ temperature water, approximately 45 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, through its pipeline network. In such a system, geothermal bore holes or the municipal water mains would work like a thermal battery, serving both as a source for low-temperature thermal energy and as a sink that could absorb excess heat. Hundreds of small heat pumps would then tap the ambient temperature water to provide heating and cooling at the individual buildings where it is needed.” Link.

NYSERDA Turns 50 – “For 50 years, NYSERDA’s investments have fueled innovative technologies and renewable energy development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower the cost of the clean energy transition for residents and businesses, decarbonize buildings, and increase energy resilience. Our efforts to advance the clean energy economy are underpinned by a commitment that ensures disadvantaged communities have equitable access to the economic, environmental, and health benefits of New York’s clean energy transition.” Link.

GAP Fund One-Pager Is Available – The Green Affordable Pre-Electrification Fund is a priority initiative for the Renewable Heat Now (RHN) for the currently forming NY State budget. RHN Notes “We now have bill numbers (S3315 and A2101) and an updated GAP Fund one-pager, and our enthusiastic sponsors (Sen. Gonzalez and AM Kelles) are eager to get the bill into the budget! That means it is time for each supporting organization to send in a Memorandum of Support for the GAP Fund.” Link.

Cap and Invest Draft Rules Were Completed but Shelved - Marie J. French -POLITICO NY & NJ Energy - “State officials completed work on draft regulations to implement Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pollution pricing and climate funding program just days before the governor chose to delay it. Staff from NYSERDA and the Department of Environmental Conservation sent completed draft regulations for the cap-and-trade style program to Hochul’s office on Jan. 9, according to emails reviewed by POLITICO. The draft rules for ‘cap and invest,’ which were originally set for an early release in mid-January and formal publication in mid-February, would still have been subject to public comment.” Article behind a paywall at this link.

Fear of Costs Plus Trump Deliver Double Whammy to Blue States on Climate - Marie J. French, Jordan Wolman and Blanca Begert – POLITICO – “The same affordability concerns that swept President Donald Trump to office are keeping blue-state leaders from mounting a vigorous response to his dismantling of federal climate policies… The latest setbacks reflect Democrats’ decadeslong struggle to navigate the balance between climate action and the shorter-term economic interests of their voters. Still, there are pockets of optimism.” Link.

Vermont’s Climate Superfund Faces First Legal Challenge – Olivia Gieger – Inside Climate News – “The suit will likely take years to play out, but its arguments could affect how similar bills in other states proceed.” Link.

Buffalo Area Crypto Operation Proposes Nuclear Plant to Supply Power -Mackenzie Shuman – Buffalo News – A “cryptocurrency mining operation in Niagara County is exploring a potential source of abundant energy to meet its needs for megawatts of power: small nuclear reactors. Digihost, a cryptocurrency mining operation, said it may want to use small reactors to power its facility located off Erie Avenue in North Tonawanda…‘The whole tech industry is struggling for power,’ said James Walker, CEO of NANO Nuclear. ‘It has to be nuclear as a solution’… local opposition has started to power up. Earlier this month, the City of North Tonawanda proposed a ban on most new energy source development, including nuclear.’ ” Link.

To hear the daily disturbing din coming from the Digihost plant, click on the 3-minute video at the blue link above.

Watchdog Groups Anticipate ‘an All-Out War on Science and Scientists’ by the Trump Administration – Bob Berwyn – Inside Climate News – “Some federal websites, including the White House’s, have already deleted climate information, including reports on resilience and adaptation vital to U.S. communities… Altering or removing science information on federal websites is only part of the disruption to the U.S. science community resulting from several of President’s Trump’s executive orders. The journal Nature reported Jan. 30 that U.S. science was ‘in chaos’ following Trump’s order to freeze many grant and loan programs that help fund research in all scientific areas.” Link.

The new normal? Example of Department of Energy website link where scientific information has been removed.

Fresh Energy Aims to Help Minnesota Lead in the Face Of Federal Climate Denial - Jo Olson, Justin Fay and Sarah Clark – “Throughout our 30-year history Fresh Energy has developed deep and robust expertise at driving and leveraging state-level policy action here in Minnesota… Over the coming years Fresh Energy will be continuing to lean in and ensure that Minnesota continues to be the North Star of climate action – regardless of what’s happening in Washington D.C.” Fresh Energy notes that last year’s legislative victories included $1.2 million in geothermal planning grants to support local communities in the pre-design phase of geothermal development. Link.

Fresh Energy’s Eric Fowler testifying in support of the accelerated residential energy code bill.

How Renewable Electricity Saves You Money – Andrew Dessler – The Climate Brink - This article is a nice clear explanation of how merit order pricing works in grid auctions “ ‘the backup’ for the wind power in this example is provided by Generator B, who was already in the market before we added wind and remains in the market after wind is added.  The only impact of adding wind power to the grid is that Generator B, instead of running all the time, only runs when it’s not windy. Because wind power is cheaper than generator B, this reduces the average cost of electricity. As more and more renewable power is built, the expensive generators run for fewer and fewer hours until they’re no longer profitable and then they shut down.” Link.

Advocates in NYC Fault NY Power Authority Statewide Plan for Renewable Electricity – Lauren Dalban – Inside Climate News – The Power Authority has proposed 40 new renewable energy projects, but only one is in NYC.  Advocates say that could delay the closure of natural gas “peaker plants,” which operate during peak demand time (less than 15% of time) and are costly and environmentally damaging to operate.  In addition, critics note that the plan currently calls for only 3.5 GW of additional renewable power, and that 15 GW of additional renewable power is needed to meet the state’s Climate Act target of net zero emissions for electrical generation by 2040. Link.

The U.S. Electricity Transition Is Moving Faster Than Most Realize - Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster- Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis - “According to the Energy Information Administration’s hourly grid monitor, total U.S. generation from utility-scale wind and solar has increased 298.8 million megawatt-hours (MWh) since 2019, easily exceeding the growth in overall U.S. power demand, which rose 202.3 million MWh… The pace of the transition is perhaps best seen in a day-by-day matchup between coal-fired generation and renewable generation (utility-scale wind, solar and hydropower).”  Thanks to NY-GEO Director of Operations John Rath for this tip.  Link.

Canadian Official Threatens to Cut Off Electricity to the US - Matt Egan and Paula Newton - CNN Business – “Canada could retaliate against President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs by shutting down energy flows to the United States, a top Canadian official warned. ‘We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin,’ Premier Doug Ford of Ontario, Canada’s largest province, threatened on Wednesday evening…  Given that Ontario is not a major producer of crude oil, Ford’s threat appeared to specifically apply to electricity the United States imports from Canada.” Link.

Analysts Warn Green Hydrogen Won't Be Viable for Decades – Kaiyo Funaki – The Cool Down: Business - “Bloomberg reported that its research division, BloombergNEF, forecasted the price of green hydrogen to range between $1.60 and $5.09 per kilogram in 2050, more than triple what it previously estimated. BNEF increased its projections after taking into consideration the rising cost of electrolyzers, which separate hydrogen atoms from water molecules using electricity powered by renewable energy… The only projected markets where green hydrogen would become cost-competitive with ‘gray’ hydrogen were China and India. However, the research service didn't expect those countries to offer the cleaner alternative at less than $2 per kilogram until after 2040.”  Thanks to NY-GEO member Billii Roberti of Green Consultants for this tip, and Happy Birthday Billii !  Link.

Heat Pumps Keep Widening their Lead on Gas Furnaces – Allison F. Takemura - “According to shipment data from the industry trade group Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, Americans bought 37% more air-source heat pumps than the next-most-popular heating appliance, gas furnaces, during the first 11 months of the year. That smashes 2023’s record-setting lead of 21%.” Link.

NY-GEO Conference Highlights

Policy: Right Sizing NY’s Energy Playing Field and Scaling Up the Adoption of Geothermal Heat Pumps

**Presented on October 22, 2024, at NY-GEO 2024 in Brooklyn, NY**

This session addressed policy measures to reorient NY's building sector toward clean heat and open up widespread adoption of geothermal heat pumps.

Moderator:

• Bill Nowak / NY-GEO Board Member

Panel: 

• Allison Considine / Building Decarbonization Coalition
• What measures right-size the cost of geo for building owners relative to fracked gas?
• John Rath / NY-GEO
• What measures right-size the cost of geo for building owners relative to air source heat pumps?
• Jeanne Bergman / Sane Energy Project
• What measures right-size the gas system to fit New York’s Climate Goals?
• Kevin Moravec / Barney Moravec, Inc.
• What measures create the right environment for geo to scale up?

Session YouTube Recording

Presentation Deck

All Pics from NY-GEO 2024 Brooklyn Are Posted !!! – Conference Co-Chair John Ciovacco has edited and posted 540 Day Two pictures of the October 21-23 NY-GEO Conference in Brooklyn. They now join the 730 pictures he had earlier posted from Day One. Check out the action and perhaps see your pic here.

Early Bird Pricing is Open for NY-GEO 2025 in Beautiful Saratoga Springs from April 22^nd- 24^th - NY-GEO hosted two conferences in 2024 with a combined attendance of over 1,000 people. In 2025 we will hold just one conference (i.e. April 2025 in Saratoga) . NY-GEO has proven to be the must-attend geothermal conference to connect, share insights and explore the latest advances in the GSHP industry. What to expect at NY-GEO 2025:

• Pre-Conference Site Tours and Geothermal Drilling Demonstrations
• Two Days of Education with Multiple Tracks
• NEW Larger Exhibitor Space
•  Annual Dinner and Top Job Awards

Mark your calendars and be part of the geothermal conversation. Your voice, expertise and participation are what makes NY-GEO conferences so valuable! Learn More and Register for NY-GEO 2025. 

Contractor's Corner:

What’s the Ideal Energy Message? – Nathan Shannon - President and CEO of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative - “In this month’s blog, we share three takeaways from the new research that demonstrate the ideal energy-related message to effectively reach the greatest number of consumers:

1. Consumers want messages to come from their electricity providers.

2. Consumers prefer email and bill inserts, but other channels still matter.

3. Saving money resonates best, with environmental benefits and comfort close behind. ” Link.

Nathan Shannon - President and CEO of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative

Apply to Join NYSERDA’s Pool of Contractors to Support Clean Energy Training Services – “NYSERDA has issued a Clean Energy Training Services Request for Qualifications (RFQL) 4145 to establish a pool of contractors qualified to deliver training, develop curriculum and/or training tools, and provide market expertise and/or other services related to clean energy workforce development and training.” Apply here.

Climate Updates:

"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

LA Psychotherapist Reflects on the Fires – Nina Dietz - Inside Climate News – “People utilize defense mechanisms to ‘not see’ difficult realities—oftentimes this is quite appropriate and even healthy. For instance, you need a certain amount of ‘looking away from the danger’ to be able to drive a car on the 405. When governments and institutions and corporations do this same thing at a macro level—‘looking away’ from truths we know about the causes of climate change—they put all of us and future generations in danger. I think psychology has a lot to offer right now in terms of how we might utilize what we understand about the human mind to ensure that we are not perpetuating systems that ‘look away’ from climate change.” Link.

Heat-Related and Cold-Related Mortality under Climate Change in 854 European Cities – Pierre Masselot et.al. – Nature Medicine – “Under the lowest mitigation and adaptation scenario… we estimate a net death burden due to climate change increasing by 49.9% and cumulating 2,345,410…climate change-related deaths between 2015 and 2099. This net effect would remain positive even under high adaptation scenarios…  Regional differences suggest a slight net decrease of death rates in Northern European countries but high vulnerability of the Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe areas. Unless strong mitigation and adaptation measures are implemented, most European cities should experience an increase of their temperature-related mortality burden."  Link.

Frequent Sources for Just In! briefs:

City & State First Read

POLITICO (Weekly NY & NJ Energy email)

Canary Media

Sunstone Strategies & the National Building Electrification Network

HEATMAP

Author Bill McKibben

Renewable Energy World

Inside Climate News

Building Decarbonization Coalition

Renewable Heat Now

NY State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)



Just in! is produced each week by NY-GEO board member Bill Nowak. Thanks to fellow NY-GEO board member John Ciovacco of Aztech Geothermal for his weekly proofreading contributions to this publication and Paul Maliszewski for his work on the briefs. We welcome your feedback and suggestions sent to bill.nowakcwa@gmail.com. 

EVENTS:

*Indicates a New Listing ** Indicates Updated Information

2025 02 04 – National Grid Clean Heat Program Contractor Training – 9:00 to 10:15 am ET – “This event is aimed at helping National Grid Participating Contractors gain a better understanding of recent program updates and upcoming changes to the 3/1/2025 NYS Clean Heat Program Manual including, but not limited to:

• New Custom and Prescriptive Incentive Levels
• Eligibility for Heat Pump Roof Top Units (RTU's)
• New Participating Contractor Badging System
• Guidance on Custom Clean Heat Projects with Construction Completion dates after 1/1/2026 as well as projects with NYSERDA funding
• Contractor Awards
• Q&A   Register here.

2025 02 04 – Renewable Heat Now Albany Rally and Lobby Day – 10:30 am to 4:00 pm ET - “Join Renewable Heat Now and allied groups as we call the Legislature to Pass the NY HEAT Act in the budget for cleaner heat and lower bills.” RSVP here.

2025 02 10 – National Grid’s Stakeholder Webinar Non-Pipe Alternatives – 12:00 to 2:00 pm ET - “On December 13, 2024, The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY and KeySpan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid (the “Companies”) jointly submitted their Non-Pipeline Alternatives Implementation Plan (‘NPA Implementation Plan’…The Companies will be revising and circulating a second draft of the NPA Implementation Plan by January 31, 2025, and will hold a second stakeholder meeting to receive input from all parties and interested stakeholders on the revised NPA Implementation Plan.” Link for the February 10th meeting. Passcode is sg6qw3GF.

2025 02 11 & 12 – Building Performance Contractors Conference – The Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga Springs, NY - “Join us for the inaugural BPCA Biennial Conference, where industry leaders, innovators, and sustainability advocates converge to explore the future of building performance!... This groundbreaking event will focus on strategies, technologies, and best practices to enhance efficiency and sustainability in building operations.” Link.

2025 02 13 – Selecting a Ground Source Heat Pump Team – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm ET – This “IGSHPA course (is) designed as a guide for architects, engineers/designers, building owners, client representative, developers, project managers and general contractors.” Among the objectives: “Develop, specify and issue concise project documents”. Register here.

2025 02 19 – Electrify Now Explores Geothermal Heat Pumps – 3:00 pm ET - NY-GEO board member John Ciovacco, President of Aztech Geothermal, will present in this session of the Electrify Now series, which educates consumers on the Whys and Hows of replacing fossil fuel devices with clean electric alternatives. “Learn about the most efficient HVAC system available, which harnesses the naturally existing heat contained within the earth.” In-depth description of event here. Register here.

*2025 02 19 – Horror Stories from the Mud Pit – 3:00 pm ET – Free California Geo Underground Learning Session – “Join our panel who will share their stories and lessons learned’ with mud rotary drilling so that as an industry we can reduce and eliminate Horror Stories from the Mud Pit! Learn more about the drilling process and how it can be more effectively incorporated into the planning and design phases of a GSHP project..” Register here.

 2025 02 28 - NYS Codes Council – 10:00 am ET with public comment period at the end – The Council is currently involved with establishing the next Uniform Code and Energy Code, which are to take effect in 2026. New York’s All-Electric New Building Act is to be enacted as part of this process. The meeting of the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council on Friday December 06, 2024 was rescheduled to January 16th via videoconference call (WebEx) at the following locations:

·       99 Washington Ave., Albany, in Conference Rooms 505, 1112 & 1135;

·       123 William Street, New York, in Conference Room 231; and

·       295 Main Street, Buffalo, in Conference Room 803.

Anyone interested in attending the meeting in-person is encouraged to email Code.development@dos.ny.gov prior to the meeting with the location they plan to attend. Alternatively, the public may attend the live meeting remotely from any location Register here.

2025 03 11 to 13 – 2025 IGSHPA Annual Conference – Breaking New Ground– From the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA): “Join us in Champaign, IL next March for our 2025 Annual Conference in collaboration with the Geothermal Alliance of Illinois!  Don't miss out on early bird pricing (ends January 31, 2025!), and as always, if you are a GAOI or IGSHPA member you get to register at a discount!” The conference agenda is now available on the conference website. Link.

2025 04 22 to 24 – NY-GEO 2025 in Saratoga Springs – Early Bird Pricing is now available! This Upstate event will be our only/sole NY-GEO conference in 2025. For 2026 the NY-GEO conference is planned to be located Downstate – NYC area. The April 2025 NY-GEO events in Saratoga will include Pre-Conference Geothermal Drilling Demonstrations & GSHP Site Tours followed by 2 Days of Conference Education Sessions, co-located with a great Vendor Exhibition Hall. Check the NY-GEO 2025 Saratoga Springs page for information as it becomes available.   

Become a 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 a NY-GEO member and why your membership is important to advancing GHP, Click here.