The vision? Replace gas pipelines with networks that tap into latent, otherwise wasted sources of heat, from both underground and industrial or municipal systems, to dramatically improve the efficiency and sustainability of electric heat\u00a0pumps.<\/p>\n
Last week, the coalition won a\u00a0long-delayed<\/a> \u2014 if partial \u2014 victory. The New York Public Service Commission approved<\/a> two of these utility thermal energy network (UTEN) plans, committing a\u00a0combined $111.5 million to build what will be the second and third such projects of their kind in the country.<\/p>\n But the commission rejected nine other UTEN projects, including several high-profile ones in New York City and others in upstate communities.<\/p>\n Still, UpgradeNY is hoping that the two approved projects \u2014 one in the Hudson Valley town of Haverstraw and the other in the city of Buffalo \u2014 will demonstrate that utility thermal energy networks are worth pursuing on a\u00a0wider scale.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a\u00a0workers\u2019 rights and environmental justice standpoint, it\u2019s a\u00a0win-win,\u201d said Theodore Moore, executive director of The Alliance for a\u00a0Greater New York (ALIGN), an environmental justice group that\u2019s part of the UpgradeNY coalition. \u200b\u201cThis is a\u00a0vital step to wean us away from fossil fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n Thermal energy networks use wells and pipes to circulate water or other fluids that capture the steady ambient temperatures hundreds of feet below the earth\u2019s surface, as well as waste heat from sewer systems, industrial facilities, and data centers. Having this steady and stable heat-exchange medium<\/a> can greatly improve the efficiency of electric-powered heat pumps, which can replace gas-fueled boilers and furnaces.<\/p>\n