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Just In! for March 8, 2025
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. | |
NY Grid Operator Prepares to Collect Tariffs on Canadian Electricity – Robert Whelan - Utility Dive – This article focuses on the significant uncertainty regarding the role of collecting tariffs on Canadian Electricity from two regional grid operators, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and the Independent System Operator of New England (ISO New England). Both have asked for expedited comment periods and orders from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The author comments that, “The tariffs could add tens of millions of dollars or more to customer bills.” Link. | |
Transmission towers on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River near the Robert Moses/Robert H. Saunders power dam in Massena, NY
DPS Guidance on Grid Readiness for All-Electric New Construction – Marie J. French – POLITICO Weekly New York and New Jersey Energy – Relative to last week’s coverage of the NY Codes Council moving code revisions forward that are faithful to NY’s All-Electric Building Act, “The Department of Public Service staff filed a white paper the day before the council’s meeting on how to implement an exemption included at the behest of Assembly Democrats for buildings if the electric utility says there isn’t enough capacity to support all-electric new construction. ‘A secretary’s notice will be sent out shortly and the SAPA comment period will start soon,’ DPS spokesperson Jim Denn said in a statement.” 7th paragraph down at this link.
Canadian Premier Threatens to Cut Off US Electricity Exports – Vaughan Golden and Emily Crane – NY Post – “The premier of Canada’s most populous province threatened to retaliate and cut off energy to the US… as President Trump’s new 25% tariffs on imports took effect Tuesday. ‘If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,’ Ontario Premier Doug Ford vowed Monday, the Toronto Sun reported. ‘They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.’ ” Link.
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Windows Open, Heating On: A New York City Winter - Lauren Dalban – Inside Climate News - “This year, building owners will report their greenhouse gas emissions for the first time. A common culprit for exceeding the city-imposed emissions limit is steam heating systems.” This in-depth article looks at the history of steam heat in NY City and provides a perspective on how the tightening limits of Local Law 97 will play out over time. Perhaps the most incisive statement comes from John Mandyck of the Urban Green Council “The law is having its intended effect—it has sent the market signal.” Link. | |
Group Pushes for $200 Million for Decarbonization Projects - Marie J. French – POLITICO Weekly New York and New Jersey Energy - A coalition backed by environmental groups, labor unions and industry stakeholders is pushing for Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers to fund $200 million in decarbonization projects on college campuses and in an upstate city (Jamestown). The Upgrade NY campaign, which includes the New York League of Conservation Voters, the Building Decarbonization Coalition and the New York State AFL-CIO, sent a letter to Hochul last week laying out its request. The groups have a specific list of ‘thermal energy network’ projects they want the state to fund.” 2nd last article, way at the bottom of this link. | |
The Coalition is seeking $68 Million to decarbonize buildings on SUNY Buffalo’s South Campus in addition to the $12 Million Governor Hochul recently announced.
The Business Council of Westchester (BCW) forms the Clean Energy Action Coalition (CEAC). Conference March 24th – From NY-GEO member Ron Kamen - CEAC's mission is to exponentially accelerate clean energy adoption across Westchester County; specifically, to reduce carbon emissions, enhance energy affordability and reliability, and drive the transition to clean energy solutions in three critical segments: electricity, thermal energy, and transportation. CEAC already includes 100 leaders that represent the region in different capacities – clean energy and heating fuel providers, real estate developers, local government leaders, professional planners, engineers and landscape architects, nonprofits, land use attorneys, and other businesses. The Clean Energy Action Conference, Powering Change Together, is being held on Monday, March 24th at the Crotonville Conference Center in Ossining NY. The conference will tackle the critical "what's next" in a rapidly evolving energy landscape, where clean energy is no longer just an environmental choice, but an economic necessity. Conference info & registration link
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Here’s How California Plans to Start Pruning its Fossil Gas Network – Justin Gerdes – Building Decarbonization Coalition – “In a conversation with Quitting Carbon, the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s Beckie Menten gives an update on the rollout of SB 1221, landmark legislation that authorizes 30 neighborhood decarbonization pilots across California.” Link.
| A Strategic Framework for Utility Cost Control - How to promote cost-efficiency through the energy transition -Sara Goldenberg, Kaja Rebane, Gennelle Wilson, Xavier Zheng – RMI – “This report examines the major drivers behind increasing utility costs in recent years. These have included increased spending on T&D infrastructure, reliance on natural gas for electricity generation, extreme weather and wildfires, and the slow adoption of new technologies. Exacerbating these challenges is the traditional electric utility regulatory framework, which creates incentives that run counter to cost control… To address this challenge, RMI developed a strategic framework for utility cost control to clarify the range of regulatory options available to strengthen utility cost containment. The framework provides a comprehensive set of 7 strategies and 16 regulatory levers designed to help regulators, consumer advocates, and other stakeholders support utility cost-efficiency while meeting future energy demands.” Link. | |
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1 Billion Pound Heat Network Advancing in the Heart of London – For the last decade, the UK Government and heat network developers have been considering how to accelerate heat network development in the UK. One such tool was ‘heat network zoning’, similar to the Danish heat planning, where areas suitable for heat network deployment are identified on a map, and developers are brought in to make the heat network a reality. A “new heat network in Westminster will become one of the UK’s first ‘heat network zones’ – places where heat networks are the cheapest and best way to decarbonize.” Link.
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Municipal Ownership of Heat - Michiel de Wit Sacha de Haan, district heating officials at the Súdwest-Fryslân Municipality, Netherlands – Hot/Cool Magazine - Friesland has always been below sea level and, as such, has constantly faced the threat of rising waters. This ever-present danger made cooperation essential for Frisians, who worked together to build dikes and protect their land. This deep-rooted sense of community and solidarity is known as Mienskip—a collective spirit that has long safeguarded the community…We believe that a municipal district heating company—dedicated to providing sustainable and affordable energy to as many residents as possible—embodies this very principle... By establishing a municipal district heating company, we can prioritize local heat sources over foreign gas, protecting our residents from price fluctuations. Moreover, with municipal ownership, control remains in our own hands rather than with foreign companies. This ensures the company operates according to our values, with all surplus and revenue reinvested into local society. Finally, we hope this initiative will create jobs and stimulate the local economy, further strengthening our community and helping us achieve our climate goals.” Link.
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Building Decarb Digest for March 2025 is Out – The Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) puts out a dynamic monthly national newsletter. The March edition includes updates on Action in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Colorado, Washington, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maryland. Link.
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Connecticut statehouse pic from the Building Decarb Digest | |
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NY-GEO Conference Highlights
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2024 GeoStar Top Job Presentations
**Presented on October 22, 2024, at NY-GEO 2024 in Brooklyn, NY**
The objective of the GEOSTAR Top Job Competition is to highlight and recognize the incredible talent, creativity and imagination that geothermal system designers and installers are bringing to the market. Additionally, these excellent case studies communicate to those outside the industry the variety of ways that geothermal heat pump technology can be applied. This year’s award winners have met the challenge!
Master of Ceremonies:
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Joanne Coons / NY-GEO Member
Awardees:
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Residential: Matt Dennis / Halco Energy
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Commercial: Tony Amis / Endurant Energy
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Drilling: Johnny Fry / Celsius Energy and Eric Bosworth / Eversource Energy
Session YouTube Recording
Presentation Deck
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Clean Heat Program Badge System – Clean Heat program email - “...beginning October 1, 2024, applications submitted to the NYS Clean Heat Program may be reviewed and graded based on additional criteria that will influence potential assignment of a badge on the Statewide Find a Contractor Tool. Badges are tiered Gold, Silver, Bronze and will be visible after March 4, 2025. Badging will be re-evaluated every 3 months with potential for more frequent review in the future. Scores are assigned based on cumulative submissions across all NYS participating utilities. To receive any badge, a minimum of three applications must be submitted to the program during the review period." No link provided on the email. | |
NYSERDA: Higher Incentive Caps for Large Scale Thermal – “Under PON 5614, NYSERDA is seeking proposals for large-scale thermal design projects in New York State that demonstrate replicable approaches to scale building decarbonization. Potential projects must have a total conditioned space of 100,000 SF for Single Building designs and 250,000 SF for Multiple Building designs. 50% cost-share of up to $300,000 for new construction and up to $750,000 for existing building retrofits. This solicitation prefers proposals for large-scale thermal systems that are located in disadvantaged communities and/or serve low-income housing.” Details and invitation to webinar on the PON at this Link. | |
Date Change for Clean Heat Contractor Meeting - “The NYS Clean Heat Joint Management Committee (JMC) is reaching out to note that the date for the next meeting of the Working Group Series for Participating Contractors and Industry Partners has changed. It will now be held on Thursday, April 10 from 9:00-10:00am instead of March 13. A link to the meeting… is available on the NYS Clean Heat website under ‘Working Group Series’… these Working Group Series meetings are a forum for contractors and other stakeholders to both learn about updates to the program and to bring their own thoughts and questions to the program administrators.”
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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 | Americans Are Increasingly Aware That Climate Change Is Harming Their Health - Keerti Gopal – Inside Climate News –A new survey shows increased trust in physicians, climate scientists, federal agencies like the CDC and the EPA, local public health departments, and the WHO for providing information about the health harms of global warming. All of these sources are under threat by the Trump administration. For example, the survey found that 39 percent of the country believes global warming is harming Americans’ health “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” an 8 percent increase since a previous survey in 2014. Nearly half of Americans also understand that climate-related health harms impact Americans unequally, a 13 point increase. Link. | |
Global Warming Will Weaken Earth’s Strongest Ocean Current– Inside Climate News – Bob Berwyn – A new study predicts that the slowdown (20% over the next 25 years) of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) from melting Antarctic ice could have 'dire' consequences, including greater climate variability and accelerated global warming. The ACC is the only ocean current to flow around the entire planet unimpeded, mixing water from the planet’s largest ocean basins—the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic and forming the “main mechanism for the exchange of heat, carbon dioxide, chemicals and biology across these ocean basins,” the researchers wrote. “Without that mixing, if the redistribution stops, you can start getting hot spots or cold spots,” the lead author said. If the ocean becomes more stagnant, the likelihood of marine heatwaves and associated impacts like toxic algal blooms increases. As ocean regions warm, they also expand, so a weaker ACC also could accelerate sea level rise. Link.
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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 billnowa@gmail.com.
EVENTS:
*Indicates a New Listing ** Indicates Updated Information
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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 03 12 – IGSHPA Virtual Town Hall – 11:30 AM ET - “Join us on Wednesday, March 12 for a special LIVE Town Hall event direct from the IGSHPA/GAOI Annual Conference! IGSHPA Marketing Manager, Sally Stephens will take you on a virtual tour of the Conference Exhibit Hall and talk to various attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. This is your chance to engage with industry leaders, ask pressing questions, and gain invaluable insights into the latest developments in ground-source heat pump technology. If you are not able to be with us in Champaign, be sure to tune in!" Register here.
2025 03 12 – March Teach-In on Energy Affordability – Noon to 1:30 pm ET – NYers for Clean Power - “Too many New Yorkers cannot afford their utility and heating bills, and the problem is only getting worse. This briefing will lay out the problem, identify some of the root causes, and highlight key policy solutions that will help lower energy costs now and into the future.
- Laurie Wheelock – Executive Director, Public Utility Law Project (PULP)
- Annie Carforo – Climate Justice Campaigns Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
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Allison Considine – Senior Campaign & Communications Manager, Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC)” Register here.
2025 03 13 – Renewable Heat Now Power Hour – 7:00 pm ET – “We'll have an update on the legislative budget proposals and we'll go over the plans for the Albany mobilization the following week. As always, we'll have a great group of presenters and we'll take action together.” Register here.
*2025 03 18 – BDC Policy Call: California – 1:00 pm ET – Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) – “We invite you to join us for our monthly discussion of building decarbonization policy in California! Learn about legislation, regulation, and what’s on the climate policy horizon as our coalition works to advance neighborhood-scale decarbonization, statewide healthy air standards, and energy affordability.” Register here.
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.
2025 04 25 –Tube-In-Tube Piping – IGSHPA’s Dig Deeper series – “This webinar will introduce a new ground loop system, including a unique manifold to accommodate a tube-in-tube piping arrangement. The speakers will educate the audience by describing three recent installations, reviewing installation methodology, and describing the benefits of the system. As compared to the current approach for horizontal ground-loop installation, the system can be installed with fewer welds, reduced field time, less technical skill, reduced area of excavation (can be drilled from one location), and less impact to landscaping.” Register here.
*2025 05 13 – BDC Policy Call: Connecticut – 1:00 pm ET – Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) – “Hosted by Matt Casale, BDC's Director of State Mobilization, this call will feature a panel of experts examining the past, present, and future of Connecticut's building decarbonization policy. Attendees can expect to secure insights that will benefit them as they seek to advance building decarbonization initiatives in their own states.” Register here.
*2025 05 21 & 22 – Ontario Geothermal Association 2025 Conference, "Embracing the Shift" – “OGA’s Conference is all about bringing stakeholders together. Join us for networking, collaborations and initiatives that will help Municipal advisors, HVACR professionals, consulting engineers & designers, as well as developers, educators and utilities.” Learn how geothermal can help Canada reach its 2030 and 2050 climate action goals. This year's Theme is: Geothermal “Embracing the Shift.” learn more here and register with an NY-GEO discount here.
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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.
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