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Just In! for April 20 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. | |
NY State Budget Drops the Ball on Climate – In 2019, NY passed its Climate Law mandating greenhouse gas reductions of 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050. Under this law, in 2022 the NY Climate Action Council adopted a plan which, if fully and expeditiously implemented across multiple sectors of NY’s economy, could result in the State meeting those goals. For the building sector, in 2023 the state budget included a slightly delayed version of the All-Electric Building Act, which starts the process of decarbonizing New York’s buildings by requiring new builds to be fossil free. 2023 also brought the Utility Thermal Energy Network Act. This year, the main initiative to continue progress under the Climate Action plan in the buildings sector is the NY HEAT Act. It would harmonize Public Service Law with the Climate Law and remove requirements to continue expansion of the gas system, which is the largest source of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting spending on gas infrastructure to actual safety measures would save ratepayers approximately $30 Billion by 2050 according to data filed by the utilities themselves with the Public Service Commission. The HEAT Act also sets up a process to cap New Yorker’s utility bills at 6% of income. The Senate included the full NY HEAT Act in its proposed budget. Governor Hochul included 2 of the 3 key provisions of the Act in her budget. Yet none of the HEAT Act provisions were included in the final adopted budget. In addition, the budget didn’t include the Climate Superfund, which would create a funding stream to help local communities recover from climate disasters by charging documented, large-scale climate polluters. State staff in agencies like NYSERDA and the Department of Public Service are hard at work implementing NY’s Climate Law, but they need the other laws they are required to follow not to contradict the Climate Law. State elected government has essentially failed to follow through on its climate commitment so far in 2024. See an in-depth analysis of the HEAT Act and the budget from NY Focus here. See Renewable Heat Now’s statement on the budget and the HEAT Act here. | |
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NY Assembly in session
City & State: Environmental, Labor Groups Call for More Climate Funding in NY City Budget – Ashley Borja – City & State – “In a letter shared exclusively with City & State, a coalition of climate, labor and advocacy groups called on the New York City Council to advocate for new climate investments in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025. The coalition, Climate Works for All, was coordinated by environmental advocacy organizations ALIGN and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. The letter, addressed to all council members and staff, calls for investing an additional $600 million in the electrification of public schools. It also called for more funding to help implement Local Law 97, the ambitious 2019 city law that mandates a transition away from fossil fuels in buildings." Article link here.
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Maryland Geothermal Credits Explained – Jason Collum – Maryland Geothermal Association (MGA) – Last week we gave an initial report on renewable energy credits (RECs) being awarded to geothermal installations in Maryland. Jason Collum of the MGA sent us an email explaining how they work: “Maryland (MD) credits provide a carve out similar to solar. A predetermined % of all MWh in the state of MD must come from Geothermal. The % goes up over time from .05% in 2023 to 1% in 2030. The % is low but if you translate that into unit sales it’s huge. They use the ‘energy analysis software’ such as ClimateMaster savings calculator to calculate BTU savings and convert to MWh. Most homes generate approximately 40 RECs worth of renewable thermal energy annually. If utilities do not meet the requirements they pay an Alternative Compliance Penalty. That penalty today is $100 and goes down over time. The current selling price /rec is $99. So most homes are receiving $3,000-$5,000 annually.” See Delegate Lorig Charkoudian’s geothermal REC bill here.
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Maryland Delegate Lorig Charkoudian
NYS Budget Fails to Include Geo and Solar Tax Credit Enhancements – In its proposed budget, the NY Senate had included provisions to raise the cap from $5K to $10K on the 25% tax residential credit for both solar and geothermal while making them refundable to low-income New Yorkers or within defined Disadvantaged Communities. Neither the Governor nor Assembly had included these provisions in their proposed budgets and they are not part of the final adopted budget revenue bill. The language of the tax credit enhancement, sponsored by Senator Kennedy and Assemblymember Rivera can be found here. S8106/A8588.
| NY Energy Tax Credits Exclude Low-Income Residents - Refundability Needed – Rosemary Misdary – Gothamist – Both the geothermal and solar industries put forth proposals for this year’s NY Budget that would increase their residential tax credit caps from $5k to $10k and make them refundable. A refundable tax credit does not require the homeowner to have really any tax liability to receive the full amount (learn more about types of tax credits here). A new report has analyzed the lack of equity inherent in the non-refundable provisions of NY’s solar tax credit. “Low-income New Yorkers are getting left out of incentives to shift to solar power, according to a report released on Sunday. Homeowners with incomes over $50,000 are two-and-a-half times more likely to have rooftop solar panels than those who earn less than that, according to the report by the think tank Win Climate and Columbia University…The…report estimates that legislation reforming the credit could assist more than 60% of the state’s 1.4 million energy-burdened homeowners. These energy-burdened households spend more than 6% of their annual income on energy.” Article link here |  | |
Op Ed Critiques National Fuel’s Role in Blocking NY-HEAT –Sara Schultz and Anshul Gupta – Lockport Union-Sun & Journal – “National Fuel’s opposition to this common-sense energy affordability and climate bill is particularly egregious considering that it recently announced a $200 million stock buyback and an all-time high dividend while seeking $89 million a year in rate hikes from customers. The company often misleadingly cites Western New York’s cold weather as a reason to keep the region permanently reliant on fracked gas, but that is just a part of its disinformation campaign as much colder Maine is the national leader in the adoption of comfortable, affordable heat pump technology that provides both heating and cooling with a single appliance” Article link here.
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NY Is First State Approved for IRA Rebate Funding – White House Press Release - “On April 15th, DOE approved New York’s application for its Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program and the corresponding $158 million grant award. With this action, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is now able to take the final steps needed to launch the program for its residents. New York expects to launch its program in late spring or summer, initially to low-income New York State homeowners, and later expanding to reach all eligible residents.” Press release here. | |
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At the NY-GEO 2024 conference in Albany it was confirmed that IRA rebates for heat pumps will include geothermal heat pumps.
New Legislation in Minnesota Advances Networked Geothermal - Frank Jossi – Energy News Network – “Minnesota is home to a growing number of networked geothermal systems — essentially massive ground-source heat pumps providing low-emissions heating and cooling to a group of buildings. Now, state legislators have introduced bills that aim to support further adoption of the technology, which advocates say is a key tool for cutting emissions in the building sector, especially in cold-weather states…Thermal energy networks have been installed in Rochester’s city hall and will be extended to a library and civic center to create a system serving more than one million square feet. Carleton College built a networked geothermal system and The Heights, a development on St. Paul’s East Side where more than 1,000 people will live and another 1,000 will work.” The article also has quotes from Ryan Dougherty of the GeoExchange and Audrey Schulman of HEET. Article link here.
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More on the Rochester MN City Hall Closed Loop Groundwater Geothermal Project – Brian Martucci – Facilities Dive – “A few steps from the front door of Rochester, Minnesota’s city hall, two newly drilled wells plunge hundreds of feet down into a vast, cool aquifer. Rochester’s groundwater, which maintains a year-round temperature in the low 50 degrees Fahrenheit, reduces the system’s heat exchange workload.” This article claims the advantages of Darcy Solutions’ closed loop groundwater geothermal system over more traditional U-bend closed loop geothermal approaches include greater efficiency and fewer boreholes drilled. “Using Darcy’s technology the Steamfitters and Pipefitters Local 455 union now cools its 100,000 square-foot training facility in St. Paul, Minnesota with just four groundwater wells, according to the St. Paul Union Advocate. A traditional ground-source geothermal system would have required 70 wells on the premises and the temporary closure of its on-site parking lot, the Union Advocate reported.” Article link here.
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Community-Owned District Heating Systems in Denmark – John Tang Jensen and Jergen Rohr Jensen – Hot Cool Magazine – “In Denmark, consumers own around 280 of 360 district heating companies, with one share of the company per dwelling connected to the district heating network”. Article link here.
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ENERGY STAR to Sunset Air Conditioners in Favor of Heat Pumps, Furnace Sunset Delayed - The ENERGY STAR specifications for furnaces and air conditioners are currently under revision. EPA had proposed sunsetting the ENERGY STAR specifications for both residential gas furnaces and central air conditioners. Under the proposal, heat pumps, both air and ground source, would remain eligible for the label. EPA is now proposing to revise, rather than sunset, the furnaces specification, while going forward with the sunset on air conditioners. The sunset would mean air conditioners could still be sold, but without the Energy Star label that gives consumers the message that the product meets robust environmental criteria. EPA sunset proposal page here. Along with 60 plus organizations NY-GEO co-signed a Rewiring America organized letter which had endorsed the proposed sunsets.
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Air conditioners, aka one-way heat pumps, may soon become ineligible for the ENERGY STAR label.
Washington State Embraces Clean Energy with New Thermal Energy Network Legislation – The Driller Staff – “In a landmark move for Washington state, the unanimous passage of House Bill 2131 has set the stage for a significant shift towards cleaner heating and cooling solutions. Spearheaded by Representative Alex Ramel, the new legislation empowers electric and gas utilities to operate and sell thermal energy through innovative thermal energy networks (TENs). This development promises to offer Washingtonians environmentally friendly heating and cooling options, marking a significant step in the state’s journey toward decarbonization.” This legislation is similar to TEN laws passed in New York and Colorado, along with related TEN pilot projects approved by regulators in Massachusetts. Link to full article here.
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DOE Partnering on Air Source Heat Pumps for Commercial Buildings – Allison Takemura – Canary Media – “The Department of Energy is convening manufacturers and customers like IKEA and Amazon to get next-gen heat pumps ready for commercial rooftops by 2027”…According to Maria Vargas, director of the DOE Better Buildings Initiative, “We’re partnering now with almost all the manufacturers of these units [in the U.S.],… AAON, Carrier Global Corp., Lennox International, Rheem Manufacturing Co., Trane Technologies and York International Corp have joined the program. They’ll work to develop and test new rooftop heat pumps to bring them to the market as soon as 2027”. Article link here.
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Geothermal Is So Hot Right Now - Jim Kapsis – the Gist – “Geothermal technology is getting a lot of attention lately. There are essentially two types: geothermal power and geothermal heating and cooling. The former can deliver clean power 24/7, while the latter can heat and cool buildings super efficiently. We enlisted two experts, Joselyn Lai, CEO of Bedrock Energy, and Michael Campos, investor at Energy Impact Partners, to help us understand the enthusiasm, challenges, and bold predictions for the future of geothermal technologies." Article link here.
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Key NY Offshore Wind Projects Halted- Marie J. French – POLITICO – “New York’s signature offshore wind projects meant to boost confidence in the industry are being scrapped, a major hit to the industry in the state and the nation. The decision is another setback to New York’s aspirations to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and be a hub for the nascent industry in the United States. It will also be another challenge for President Joe Biden’s already likely out-of-reach 30 gigawatt goal for offshore wind by 2030.” In response to criticism of this development, NYSERDA President Doreen Harris tweeted “Despite notable progress, the U.S. offshore wind industry is still in its infancy. As w/ any new sector, challenges are expected & require resolve from fed, state & private sector to overcome. @NYSERDA will take proactive measures to address these issues head-on.” Article link here.
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DOE Report on Tech to Increase Grid Capacity & Reliability – Jeff St. John – Canary Media – “The DOE’s three-to-five-year roadmap starts with directing billions of dollars into 'innovative grid deployments,' featuring technologies ranging from advanced grid equipment to next-generation grid-control software platforms, that can serve as templates for utilities across the nation. It also recommends that utilities and their state regulators alter existing policies — like cost-of-service structures, which reward utilities for spending money on grid infrastructure — that have stymied adoption of these technologies in the U.S., compared with in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world.” The DOE report missed an opportunity to include the contribution geothermal ground loops make to saving grid costs despite a separate recent DOE study that documents those savings. Article link here.
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California Goes 100% Renewable Electricity for Two Weeks – Jeremiah Budin - The Cool Down – In California, wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal have supplied 100% of the state's electricity demand for 25 out of the last 32 days (and counting). This is a first for that length of time. The performance was a rebuttal to fossil fuel company disinformation that 100% clean energy generation over an extended period was not possible. California plans on having 100% renewable electrical generation by 2035. Article link here
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EV Charger Built into Indiana Highway – “Kristoffer Tigue – Inside Climate News – “Construction of the pilot project on U.S. Highway 52 began this month. State officials hope it can help quell range anxiety and electrify long-haul trucks… the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT will install a series of copper coils under the highway’s surface to test a new technology Purdue University researchers developed that can provide power to electric vehicles wirelessly as they drive past." Article link here.
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2023: Record Year for Global Wind Installations - Carlos Mureithi - Associated Press – “The world installed 117 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023, a 50% increase from the year before, making it the best year for new wind projects on record, according to a new report by the industry’s trade association…But the authors warned that the wind industry must increase its annual growth to at least 320 gigawatts by 2030 in order to meet the COP28 pledge to triple the world’s installed renewable energy generation capacity by 2030, as well as to meet the Paris Agreement’s ambition of capping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).” Article link here.
|  | Clean Energy Backlog Bigger Than the Entire Grid – Dan McCarthy, Maria Virginia Olano – “As of December 2023, proposed projects encompassing nearly 2,600 gigawatts (GW) — or 2.6terawatts — were making their way through the series of studies and steps required to plug into the power grid, according to a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Almost all of this backlog, known as the interconnection queue, consists of clean energy — and it’s mostly from solar and batteries.” Article link here. |  | Donate Eclipse Glasses for Reuse – Assemblymember Anna Kelles’ newsletter – In case it’s not too late…”Want to spare your gently used eclipse glasses from the landfill? Eclipse Glasses USA collects donated solar eclipse glasses to send around the world for others to enjoy upcoming eclipses and primarily benefits schools and children. Glasses must have no scratches, punctures, tears, or any other form of damage that might compromise the protective quality of the glasses. Ship to: Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC, P.O. Box 50571, Provo, UT 84605.” | |
NY-GEO Conference Highlights:
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This is a new section for Just In! that will feature content from previous NY-GEO Conferences that you may have missed or would like to revisit. Each session will have the slide deck available for download and a YouTube video link of the recorded session. Enjoy!
2023 GeoStar Top Job Presentations from NY-GEO 2023 in Albany
The objective of the 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. The 2023 finalists have met the challenge! Top Job will return again at the NY-GEO 2024 Fall Conference in Brooklyn.
Master of Ceremonies:
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Joanne Coons / NY-GEO Volunteer
Five Top Job Finalists:
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Moonshot Farm / Jim Thomas
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ZEN Building / Claire Lukasiewicz
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Historic Fitch Tavern / Steven Taylor
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Pierce Arrow Lofts / Johannes Rosemann
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Norton Commons / Titian Burris
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240 Markland / Christie Reaves
Session YouTube Recording
Download Presentation Deck
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Taxpayers Will Continue to Foot the Climate Bill – The Lever – “In states across the country, lawmakers face a daunting budget question: Who should pay to deal with the climate mess created by the fossil fuel industry — taxpayers or the industry itself? In the Democratic stronghold of New York — which requires expensive infrastructure investments to fortify its cities and towns against flooding — environmental advocates say Democratic leaders are about to offer a troubling answer: New York taxpayers should foot the bill, not the party’s fossil fuel industry donors.” In fact, the Climate Superfund Act referenced in this article was not included in the budget. Article link here.
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Florida Bill Blocks Heat Protection Regs for Workers – CWA (Communication Workers of America) News - "In the face of increasingly hot weather, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has signed into law HB 433, which effectively blocks municipalities from requiring employers to provide heat exposure abatement, such as cooling areas and cold water. This move came as a response to Miami-Dade, Florida’s most populous county, considering the passage of heat laws to protect its workers and follows the example set by fellow Republican Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, who signed similar legislation in 2023. Abbott’s signature barring the creation of heat regulations came almost exactly one year after the heat-related death of a 24-year-old worker, Gabriel Infante, who suffered a heat stroke outside of San Antonio while laying fiber optic cable. Infante was employed by a contractor and was in his first week on the job." Article link here.
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Climate Damage Estimated at More than Six Times the Federal Budget by 2050 – Bill McKibben – Email on his Crucial Years blog - "A new study released…in Nature examines data from 1,600 regions of the earth for the last forty years, and concludes that by 2050 climate change will be causing economic damage worth $38 trillion every single year. That seems like…a lot. The entire world economy at the moment is about $100 trillion a year; the federal budget is about $6 trillion a year." Study 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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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 04 24 – Boost Your Comfort with HVAC Sales and Financing: – 2:00 pm ET – “In this workshop, Jacob Langford and Joshua Keniley will discuss what sales really is (and what it isn't), where financing fits into that conversation, and how to use a mix of techniques to tackle in-home selling — regardless of your job title…. Learn about the buyer's journey and how to make your customer the ‘hero’ in that journey.” Register here.
*2024 04 26 – IGSHPA Dig Deeper - New A2L Refrigerants: How is the Geothermal Industry Affected ? – 11:30 am ET – International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) - Speaker: Bob Brown, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Advanced Development at WaterFurnace. Register here.
*2024 05 22 – Ontario Geothermal Association 2024 Conference – OGA 2024 Conference in Hamilton, Ontario is all about bringing stakeholders together with a theme of GeoThermal “The New Normal”. Join us for networking, collaborations and initiatives that will help Municipal advisors, HVACR professionals, consulting engineers & designers, as well as developers, educators and utilities Canada reach its 2030 and 2050 climate action goals. OGA 2024 Conference website including registration here.
*2024 05 22 - 05 24 - IGSHPA Accredited Installer (AI) Course - 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET each day - Held at the Energy Catalyst Training Facility in Troy, NY, this 3-day course will allow attendees to take a test to become an IGSHPA certified contractor. This certification is required to be a participant in the NYS Clean Heat Program and is recognized by most rebate agencies, including Mass Save and Efficiency Vermont. This Accredited Installer training will be provided by NY-GEO member and IGSHPA Certified Trainer Jacquie Scherer. HDPE pipe fusion training is included. Register through the IGSHPA events page.
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
*2024 10 21 to 23 – NY-GEO 2024 – Fall Conference – New York City – The New York Brooklyn Bridge Marriott will host a two-day conference with a day of local project site tours, over 40 educational sessions, and the NY-GEO Annual Dinner. 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.
NY-GEO Members can attend the conference 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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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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