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Just In! for March 30, 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's Albany Conference
Is a Week and Half Away !
and conference registration rates go up Monday
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NY-GEO 2024 CONFERENCES –
See details in the listings in the Events section below in green type.
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Con Edison to Provide Geothermal Conductivity Test Incentives – Business Wire - “Brightcore Energy, LLC, a (NY-GEO member) …is pleased to announce that an incentive program that the company petitioned for, and subsequently supported Con Edison in creating, has been approved. The Thermal Conductivity Testing (“TCT”) Incentive program becomes a part of Con Edison’s Clean Heat Program and will offset the eligible costs of Geothermal Conductivity Tests by 50%, up to a maximum incentive of $40,000.” Article link here. |  | |
From a video on the Brightcore website
Times Covers NY HEAT Act - Hillary Howard – NY Times - “Legislators and activists are rallying to squeeze the NY HEAT Act into the state budget by the April 1 deadline… ‘Current law is slanted toward natural gas,’ Michael Gerrard, an environmental law professor at Columbia Law School, said. ‘This new law will level the playing field and take away some of that preference.’... ‘The autopilot of gas hookups must stop,’ said Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, a Democratic sponsor of NY HEAT who represents Albany and parts of Albany County. Gas will still be an option, Ms. Fahy added. But the bill does intend to accelerate green development.” The struggle over the NY HEAT Act is continuing as the Legislature has announced they will continue budget negotiations past the April 1st deadline. Just In! readers who would like to plug in on the NY HEAT Act are urged to contact billnowa@gmail.com. Article link here.
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Berkeley to Repeal Gas Ban Law After Losing Lawsuit – Brad Plumer - NY Times -“The city of Berkeley, Calif., has agreed to repeal a landmark climate rule that would have banned natural gas hookups in new homes… The city settled the lawsuit last week by agreeing to immediately halt enforcement of the rule and eventually repeal it altogether.” It is not yet clear how the Berkeley decision might impact the many other all-electric initiatives across the country, given that many employ legal mechanisms to decarbonize buildings that are different from Berkeley’s. “Seattle and San Jose have adopted ‘fuel neutral’ standards that require new buildings to meet increasingly strict energy performance requirements. Those standards don’t technically ban gas stoves or furnaces, but they can be so stringent that they are difficult to meet without installing electric appliances.” Article link here. See Sunstone Strategies’ talking points on the positive legacy of Berkeley’s initiative here.
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IRA Helps Minnesota Schools Go Geo – Frank Jossi – Energy News Network - “Last year, the district completed a ground-source geothermal system while renovating the 1960s-era Johnson High School. This year, it’s installing a different type of system at two other schools that tap aquifers rather than the ground as a heating and cooling source… The three schools will see significant savings over natural gas systems. Vreeland said the annual savings will be $143,000 at Hidden River Elementary and $200,000 at Bruce Vento. Both should pay for themselves in a decade. Johnson High’s savings will be $7 million over 30 years.” Article link here.
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Con Edison Weighs in Again on Repeal of the 100 Foot Rule - Marie French - POLITICO tweet – “Con Edison has backed repeal of the ‘100 foot rule’ since last year, but circulated a new memo urging lawmakers to cut a deal swiftly as part of budget talks this session”. Repeal of the 100 foot rule – a ratepayer subsidy for gas infrastructure, that sets up an unlevel playing field for gas in relation to renewable heating - is a key part of the NY HEAT Act. Tweet link here.
Ex PSC Chair John Rhodes Named Acting Chair of Long Island Power Authority – Paul Ciampoli – American Public Power Association - “The Board of Trustees of the Long Island Power Authority announced John Rhodes’s appointment as LIPA’s Acting CEO, effective immediately, LIPA said on March 27. Rhodes comes to LIPA with a distinguished background in public service and energy policy, having served as Chair of the New York State Public Service Commission and President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. In addition, he has served as a Special Assistant to the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. “ Article link here.
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John B. Rhodes
How the US Fell in Love with Fossil Gas – Canary Staff - Climate Town explains the problematic rise of U.S. fossil gas in a 40-minute video produced in partnership with Canary Media. Thanks to NY-GEO member Dave Hatherton for this tip, Article & video link here.
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Gas Exports Expected to Push Prices Up – Patti Domm - Barrons – "Natural-gas prices dipped to the lowest levels since the pandemic this winter due to a supply glut and warm weather, but that could be about to change… Natural gas futures were about $1.70 per million British thermal units, or MMBtu, Monday, up from a low of $1.58 in February. Prices should rise in 2025 as production falls and demand grows. Looking further out, demand is expected to pick up as natural gas exports increase, in the form of liquefied natural gas to Europe and Asia and through pipelines to Mexico…Exports are a big swing factor for U.S. natural-gas prices. Gas prices fell earlier this year when President Joe Biden announced a temporary pause on pending decisions on liquefied natural gas exports, while the administration reviews whether more exports are in the public interest. But already approved projects will result in a near doubling of exports by 2028 from 2023 levels." Article link here.
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Gas Appliances Produce More Pollution than Power Plants - Brian Stewart – Electrify Now - “New reports show that the gas furnaces and water heaters used in residential buildings in the US produce more dangerous air pollution than gas power plants, cement factories and oil refineries. The NOX, CO and PM2.5 pollution from gas combustion in our homes and buildings contributes to thousands of premature deaths, heart attacks, asthma attacks and hundreds of thousands of lost work days every year.” Article link here.
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New England: Coal Free by 2028 – Holly Bender – Sierra Club – “The region’s last two coal plants in New Hampshire, Merrimack Station in Bow and Schiller Station in Portsmouth, are set to retire their coal burning units in 2028 and 2025, respectively. In total, 560 megawatts of dirty power will go offline for good. For 25 years, the Sierra Club has pushed for the retirement of both Merrimack and Schiller, organizing events like hair testing for mercury, and connecting with communities in nearby Massachusetts and Maine that are impacted by the plants’ pollution.” Article link here.
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Picture and “300” figure were from 2020. Today: “This is the 380th and 381st coal plant retirements we've won through the collective advocacy of the Beyond Coal campaign.”
Does Europe Need So Much US LNG? – Julian Spector – Canary Media - "Does Europe depend on the untrammeled expansion of the American LNG industry to keep its lights on and its homes heated? Or is the clean energy transition moving so fast there that the enormous buildout of U.S. export capacity will prove redundant and unnecessary? The answer is more nuanced than one might glean from the hard-charging rhetoric for and against further U.S. LNG growth." Article link here.
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U.S. Energy Booms, Few Are Happy – Ben Lefevbre - POLITICO - "President Joe Biden is presiding over a historic boom in U.S. energy production, with oil, natural gas and renewable power all setting records that would have seemed unfathomable two decades ago – and almost no one is happy about it." (From 2024 03 27 – City & State First Read) Article link here.
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446 New Census Tracts May Qualify as Energy Communities for IRA Bonus Tax Credits on Geo and Other Renewable Projects –Keith Martin - Norton Rose Fulbright – The Internal Revenue Service added 446 more areas today to the list of locations where renewable energy projects qualify potentially for a 10% energy community bonus tax credit. The 446 sites are in statistical areas that the IRS identifies as potential energy communities. Not all of the 446 qualify for the bonus credit currently. Locations must check two boxes to qualify. Article link here.
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4 counties in New York added in IRS ruling
DEC Seeks to Reduce Cost Barrier for Geothermal Test Bores - The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Mineral Resources published a notice last week titled Relief from Requirements to Furnish and Maintain Financial Security for Closed Loop Stratigraphic Test Wells. This essentially states that geothermal closed loop boreholes, drilled deeper than 500 feet for the purpose of testing downhole geology and thermal properties, will not be required to post and maintain financial security. The financial security does still apply to other types of deep wells and can be returned once the well is decommissioned properly – often many years later. As indicated in the notice, written comments on the proposed policy will be accepted until close of business on April 26, 2024 (30 days from the date of notice publication). Please submit any written comments to the email address listed in the notice. See link to the full DEC notice on the new NY-GEO borehole page here.
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Methane Emissions Rose In 2023 – Dan McCarthy – Canary Media – "Global methane (“natural gas”) emissions rose last year, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency and appear to be much higher than previously estimated. The U.S is the second largest global emitter (behind China). The energy sector is the largest contributor in the U.S., with oil and gas producing the most emissions. Methane is relatively short-lived in the atmosphere, but has 80 times the warming impact of CO2. In January, the Biden administration proposed rules for an Inflation Reduction Act program that would penalize large oil and gas producers for emitting methane above a certain threshold." Article link here. |  | |
Methane Detection Satellite Launched - Josh Henretig – RMI - “I had the honor of representing RMI at the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) groundbreaking launch of MethaneSAT, a new high-resolution satellite that is able to map, measure, and track methane emissions on a global basis (fifteen times a day, to be exact) with unprecedented precision, offering a comprehensive view of methane emissions. Methane, a powerful climate pollutant, is over 80 times more powerful than CO2 in heating the planet. It’s also invisible to the human eye and often emitted in high concentrations across many geographies, making it a prime target for satellite imaging.” Article link here.
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Early Wildfire Season in Midwest – Kristoffer Tigue – Inside Climate News – Thanks in large part to a hot, dry winter, the Midwest wildfire season has started early. For example, wildfires are up by nearly eight-fold to date over the ten-year average in Wisconsin. The same conditions will likely extend the spring wildfire season into the end of the year with fewer breaks. The vast majority of fires are started by humans (e.g., leaf burning), and states are making efforts (e.g., issuing permits) to control when and how those fires are started. Article link here.
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“The World is Burning Around Us Elmo” – Martin Wahl – Green Energy Times – “… is how YouTuber Steven McInerney famously responded to Elmo’s January 29 post on X (formerly Twitter) asking 'How is everybody doing?' Well, Mr. McInerney is not wrong – the world is experiencing larger wildfires at an increasing rate. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service shows record-breaking fires around the globe in 2023 generating 2,170 million tons of CO2 and worsening the greenhouse effect. To put that in perspective, all the gas and diesel vehicles in the U.S. emitted 1,488 million tons in 2022." Article link here.
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The Sixth Mass Extinction: Are We Facing a New Crisis? – February 22nd report - Science Recent – 8 minute read - “Throughout Earth’s history, five mass extinctions have dramatically reshaped the planet’s biological diversity. Earth may be experiencing a sixth, not through natural disasters but by human-induced causes. Rapid species decline, resulting from habitat destruction, pollution, and overexploitation of resources, underscores the significant impact of human activity on the planet…Climate change stands at the forefront of the environmental challenges contributing to the Sixth Mass Extinction. It acts as a force multiplier, exacerbating the impacts of other stressors on biodiversity and ecosystem health. Rising global temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems, forcing species to migrate, alter their breeding cycles, or face extinction. The acidification of oceans, a direct consequence of increased carbon dioxide levels, further jeopardizes marine life, particularly species like coral that are vital to the survival of thousands of other marine species.” Thanks to Carl DeVyver for this tip. 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
| Huge Breakthrough: Climate Crisis Solution Discovered – Yellow Dot Studios - STOP BURNING OIL, GAS, AND COAL. This solution was discovered 127 years ago by Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius and was published in Popular Mechanics in 1912. Web page link here. | |
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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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 - Spring Conference - 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 three concurrent tracks – so something for everyone. Exhibit space is sold out with over 50 companies dedicated to building electrification on hand. For information about the educational sessions, to register or make hotel reservations click here. Note: registration fees increase March 31st and hotel conference rate ends on March 25th.
Keynotes Announced for NY-GEO 2024 in Albany – 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 – 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 conferences at a discounted rate, so now is a good time to renew your membership through 2024. 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 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 two of the winners are geothermal projects. Register here.
APRIL - IGSHPA and GeoExchange announce April as National Geothermal Month. Learn more and celebrate geothermal here.
*2024 04 03 - Youth Climate Career Summit – 9:00am - 6:00 pm ET – “The Capital Region Clean Energy Hub is organizing a clean energy career summit next Wednesday and we want you to be there to scout talent! To build your workforce, we will dedicate a large portion of the afternoon to hiring opportunities. NYSERDA contractors: your exhibition booth and other participation are free of charge. Company registration information, parking instructions, and the draft event schedule can be found here.
2024 04 04 – Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) on Zonal Electrification with Increased Focus on Emissions and Equity – 1:30 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.
2024 04 10 – IGSHPA Town Hall on Advocacy and Marketing – 11:30 am ET – “The IGSHPA Advocacy and Communications Task Force (ACT) will talk about their efforts in this newly formed task force, formerly the Advocacy committee and Marketing committee, now operating as one joint task force. ACT has declared April as National Geothermal Month, and they would like to discuss how we can raise awareness of the technology. Register here.
*2024 04 17 – Geo Heat Pump Standards (then and now) – 3:00-4:00 pm ET - California Geo’s next “UNDERGROUND webinar will feature a pair of experienced geo practitioners to share their knowledge and experience. They’ll be covering the changes coming to geo heat pump rating standards; from the current ISO/AHRI 13256-1 to the future AHRI Standard 600. Lisa Meline and Bob Brown will explain this transition and show how it affects an engineer's project preparations.” Register here.
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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