Heating at Franklin Field in Dorchester to be converted to geothermal

Following along with one of our Making Sense of Climate recurring topics, Boston goes with a pilot on geothermal.

"As the Boston Housing Authority works toward an ambitious goal of going fossil-fuel free, its path to success could begin at the Franklin Field complex in Dorchester.

Mayor Michelle Wu joined officials from the BHA and National Grid at Franklin Field on Thursday to unveil details of a plan to convert the heating system for 129 public housing units there to an electricity-powered geothermal system. The project would replace the 20-year-old gas-fired boiler in use today.

BHA administrator Kenzie Bok said the idea can be traced back to Wu’s announcement a year ago that the BHA would wean itself off fossil fuels by 2030. BHA officials first considered using air-source heat pumps to replace the aging boiler but found that National Grid’s centralized geothermal proposal would be more cost efficient.

“The first step in going fossil-fuel free is not to put in new fossil fuel infrastructure,” Bok said."

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https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/25/business/boston-geothermal-energy/

The Boston Housing Authority will install a geothermal project at the Franklin Filed housing complex in Dorchester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (left) walks into the event with National Grid New England president Lisa Wieland. JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF