2026-10-20 - Health and Environment Committee

01:59Mhm.

04:51>> All right. Uh good morning. It's still

04:54morning.

04:55For some of us, it's um been a long

04:58night.

04:59Um

05:00I am calling today's Health and

05:01Environment Committee meeting to order.

05:03The call of today's meeting is to review

05:05and discuss the landscape of thermal

05:07energy network 10 planning in Cambridge,

05:10including reviewing results from the

05:12Cambridge Network's geothermal

05:13feasibility study. And it will cover

05:15obviously the um

05:16landscape around the area and if we want

05:19the country and world. The first order

05:21of business is a roll call of members

05:22present.

05:24Counselor El-Zoubi.

05:26Present. Vice Mayor Azeem.

05:27Present. Counselor McGovern.

05:30Absent. Counselor Nolan.

05:31>> Present.

05:32>> Present. Counselor Zuse.

05:34Present. Four members present, one

05:36recorded as absent.

05:37>> Thank you, and I believe there is a

05:39representative from the mayor's office

05:40here. He's been in and out, so I

05:41appreciate that the mayor will be here.

05:44Um pursuant to chapter two of the acts

05:45of 2025, I believe I have to read this.

05:48Um adopted by Massachusetts General

05:50Court and approved by the governor, the

05:51city is authorized to use remote

05:52participation at meetings of the

05:53Cambridge City Council and its

05:54committees. Please note the city of

05:56Cambridge audio and video records this

05:57meeting and makes it available to the

05:58public for future viewing. Third parties

06:00may also be audio and video recording

06:01this meeting in addition to having

06:02members of the council participate

06:04remotely. We also have set up Zoom

06:05teleconference for public comment. Each

06:07speaker will have 2 minutes.

06:09Uh if you would like to provide public

06:10comment, please visit the city council

06:12section of the city's webpage.

06:13Instructions for how to sign up are

06:14posted there. You can complete that sign

06:16up procedure. If you are in the room,

06:17feel free to let us know if you have not

06:19signed up to public comment and we'll

06:20add you to the list. You can also email

06:22written comments for the record to the

06:23city clerk. To watch the meeting, please

06:25tune in to channel 22 or visit the open

06:26meeting portal on the city's website.

06:28With that, all of today's votes if any

06:29will be by roll call. And I will

06:31actually, if you have prepared 3

06:32minutes, there's only three people

06:33signed up for public comment. Happy to

06:35have 3 minutes, which is the usual. Uh

06:37which is which is the chair's

06:39prerogative to say that it could be 3

06:40minutes. It really um

06:42So,

06:43with that, um I cannot be more excited

06:47to see this table here. Some of you

06:49know, um

06:51from early understanding of HEAT's work,

06:53we have the founder of HEAT here and a

06:56representative from uh HEAT as well. Um

06:59And then, it is just unbelievably

07:01exciting because those of us in this

07:03field know that it was a key element of

07:06the city didn't application for a for a

07:0810 many years ago. We did not get that

07:10funding, but then the climate crisis

07:11working group, which several members in

07:13this room participated in, said, "Hey,

07:15let's do this." The city has been really

07:16wanting to do it. And since the last few

07:19years just there's been an incredible

07:20explosion of interest and work on 10s

07:23around um around the country. We will

07:25hear about that from the city and also

07:26HEAT and Black Swan Lab. Um at the ICLEI

07:29conference that I was uh at just uh 10

07:32days ago it was in Baltimore, thermal

07:34energy networks were discussed widely

07:36among people being incredibly excited

07:38about it. Really does seem to be a

07:39potentially transformative way for us to

07:42achieve our decarbonization goals. Um

07:45So, I'm really excited. I think what we

07:47should do is just go quick around the

07:48room and introduce who's here because uh

07:51we're going to have to do a little bit

07:52rapid-fire, but we'll see um

07:54cuz I've laid it out. There's about five

07:56uh

07:57groups that will be presenting. We're

07:58trying to keep it to about 10 minutes

08:00each, and we'll see, but if we can go

08:02around uh Vice Mayor Azeem, if you want

08:03to just start us off.

08:07>> Burhan Azeem, Vice Mayor.

08:12>> I'm Sarah Gallop. I'm a director of

08:14government and community relations at

08:16MIT. I'm here along with our associate

08:18director, Analisa Bhatiya, back here.

08:21I'll let uh Joe introduce himself.

08:24>> Hi everyone, Joe Higgins, uh vice

08:26president of campus services and

08:27stewardship uh stewardship at MIT. Um

08:30oversight for our decarbonization plans

08:32and the amazing teams that are working

08:33on that. And we also brought one of our

08:35researchers with us here today, Zach.

08:42>> So, the green light shows up.

08:47>> Hello everybody. I'm Kevin Haggerty. I'm

08:48the president and CEO of Vicinity

08:49Energy. We run the district energy

08:51system that supplies steam and other

08:53energies to Boston and Cambridge.

08:58>> Hi, my name is Irina Key from with the

08:59office of sustainability working as a

09:01building decarbonization planner.

09:07>> Eric Bosworth here um hoping to

09:09communicate with you uh the folks over

09:10at HEET.

09:12>> Audrey Schulman, executive director of

09:14Black Swan Lab.

09:16>> Uh Kathy Watkins, deputy city manager.

09:19>> Ayah Al Zubaydi, city councilor.

09:22>> Kathy Zusi, city councilor.

09:26>> Thank you. And I know uh Chief Climate

09:28Officer Julie Julie Wormser is in a

09:30meeting over at BU. I think I she is

09:32probably available online. Um

09:34and I'm not sure. I know someone from

09:36the Green Ribbon Commission, Boston, did

09:37send in a presentation. I'm not sure if

09:39they're

09:40online um or if they're going to be able

09:43to be here present. And I know someone

09:44from Eversource is also uh hoping to

09:47join either in person or remotely. So,

09:49I'm looking back to our clerk to make

09:51sure if if those people are here that um

09:53we should make sure we promote them so

09:55that they can present. Um

09:58Uh so, I think I'm you know, as I said,

10:00I'm really excited about this. This is

10:02an unbelievably important way for us to

10:04jointly, comprehensively, and hopefully

10:08systematically look at ways that we can

10:09achieve our goals. And as I have said it

10:13many, many times,

10:14if Cambridge and MIT and Eversource and

10:17Vicinity jointly can't move the ball

10:20forward more quickly than the rest of

10:23the world, then we might as well give up

10:25on literally, not to be too dramatic,

10:27but but saving our own health and our

10:30own lives. So, with that, I the agenda

10:32is before you.

10:34Um we're going to start off with the

10:35Office of Sustainability, followed by

10:37Black Swan Lab and Heat, then Vicinity

10:40Energy, MIT will talk about its heat

10:42recovery um plans and campus planning,

10:44and then the Boston

10:47which is the Boston Thermal Energy

10:49Network planning really exciting um

10:52regional feasibility study. Again,

10:53there's so much in the news about this,

10:55about every day practically there's

10:56someone else saying, "Oh, we could

10:57explore this, you know, let's use the

10:58oceans. Let's use thermal energy

11:00somewhere." I just got some email list

11:02I'm on about yet another project. So,

11:04let's start off with Arena.

11:07>> Thank you, Chair Nolan, and to the

11:09committee members for hosting this

11:11session and the presenters. What an

11:12incredible lineup. I appreciate you

11:13moving the needle on clean thermal and

11:16uh sharing what you've learned so far.

11:18Can we share the presentation?

11:32>> And for those of you here, there are a

11:33couple copies of the presentation, I

11:36believe that

11:45>> Thank you.

11:46So, I'm going to dive right in. I know

11:48we're tight on time and really just

11:49focus on giving a really high-level

11:51overview of this work, of the goals and

11:54the findings for the feasibility study

11:56to look at a pilot project. I do want to

11:58note that we have had a in-depth webinar

12:02a couple of weeks ago that really talked

12:03through the process, the methodology,

12:05more of the findings, and the recording

12:07for that webinar is available on our

12:09website. So, I would direct you there if

12:11there's anything that caught your eye

12:13that you want to learn more about that

12:15I'm really just going to kind of glaze

12:16over. So,

12:18the pragmatic question here that the

12:19city was asking was, you know, what

12:20would it take to build a pilot project

12:23for a geothermal-based thermal energy

12:24network in an existing Cambridge

12:26neighborhood.

12:27And we were primarily using and slide,

12:29please.

12:32So, primarily using ARPA funding, the

12:34city brought on Salas O'Brien as the

12:36technical consultant. They are here in

12:38the Zoom meeting with us and can join

12:40for this

12:40>> check. Can those Can you raise your hand

12:42if you can hear Arena? Okay, great.

12:47>> Okay.

12:49So, we brought on Salas O'Brien as the

12:51technical consultant for this project.

12:53They're a leader in designing thermal

12:55energy networks across the US. Trust was

12:58their subcontractor for communications

13:00and engagement. Um, and the team So,

13:04yeah, we can ask any questions to the

13:05rest of the team on the Zoom. Slide,

13:08please.

13:10So, we know that the city has really

13:11been committed to cutting our carbon,

13:13right? We have our net zero goal by

13:152050, and we're making sooner strides on

13:18cutting this carbon pollution. So, where

13:20does our carbon pollution really come

13:22from? And in Cambridge, the answer is

13:24mostly buildings, as you can see in the

13:26the graphic there.

13:28Uh and that is mostly from construction

13:30constructing and operating these

13:31buildings. And when you live in a

13:34historic city in a cold climate, then

13:36heating and cooling these buildings

13:38really takes a lot of energy. So, we

13:40need to change how our energies are

13:42getting their heat. Slide, please.

13:46And uh the city's net zero action plan

13:48really focuses on decarbonization of the

13:50building sector. So, you can see here

13:53the kind of suite of approaches that

13:54we're taking to address new

13:56construction, to um offer community

13:58energy programs, and we've made great

14:00strides in especially the area of new

14:02construction. And this idea of having a

14:06micro district at the time it was called

14:07a micro district uh geo micro district

14:10study for a pilot project came from the

14:13net zero action plan um as a way to look

14:15at these existing neighborhoods.

14:19So, within this So, so that's kind of

14:21where we came to the study itself.

14:23Slide, please.

14:27And I won't dig too deeply into this

14:29now. I want to keep moving, but want to

14:31note that the plan was not the first

14:32time that we've expressed interest in

14:34looking at these kind of neighborhood

14:35scale solutions um leading into the

14:38study. Slide, please.

14:41So, at its core, a thermal energy

14:43network that uses geothermal sources has

14:46four parts. The first is the ground.

14:49Right? As soon as you get below 20 to 30

14:51ft in the ground, um the earth actually

14:53stays steady at about 53° all year

14:56round, no matter what the climate or the

14:58weather is doing outside. So, it is

15:00warmer than the air in the winter, it's

15:02cooler than the air in the summer, and a

15:04really good opportunity to um provide a

15:06source of clean heating and cold.

15:10So, to tap into the thermal energy, we

15:11would drill

15:12uh drill these deep holes between 550

15:15and 850 ft deep. Uh they're called

15:18bores. And usually those those are under

15:20a parking lot or a surface uh

15:23or a or a park. And on the graphic, it's

15:25just behind the subtitles there is the

15:27example.

15:29And then there are pipes that are mostly

15:31filled with water that run from the bore

15:33field through the neighborhood in the

15:35streets to connect to buildings. That

15:38circulates the water at a mild

15:39temperature. It's not going to be hot

15:41like your boiler. And that is called the

15:43distribution network.

15:45And then inside of each building there

15:47would be equipment. So there's a heat

15:48pump that can pull heat from the water

15:51and and then circulate it within the

15:53building.

15:54And then we'd do the opposite kind of

15:55like a heat pump in a residential home

15:57to to flip the direction in the summer

16:01time.

16:02And most buildings would need some kind

16:04of an upgrade to be able to connect such

16:06as new equipment or changes to how this

16:10heat is delivered into rooms like new

16:12duct duct work.

16:14Next, please.

16:16So this idea of shared infrastructure

16:19isn't new, right? There's shared

16:20infrastructure in our streets already.

16:22It would function like our drinking

16:24water where there's a street network and

16:26then an individual connection from the

16:28home or the building to that street.

16:31And in winter most buildings do pull

16:34heat from the network with the exception

16:36in Cambridge especially of buildings

16:38like labs that might have some excess

16:40heat that they could contribute to the

16:42network and continue that in

16:43circulation. Slide.

16:47So it's important to note here that

16:49geothermal bores are not the only source

16:51of heating and cooling for buildings. A

16:54network could draw on a larger source

16:56like like the river, like the Boston

16:58Harbor for example, where there's this

17:00kind of plentiful and cheap source of

17:02energy. And a network could also draw on

17:06existing infrastructure systems like the

17:09you know MBTA. You can sometimes walk

17:10over a a great and feel the heat coming

17:13out of the of the great.

17:15And so

17:18you know, this federally funded project

17:20was really focused on network geothermal

17:22as a pilot that could be replicated as a

17:25solution for existing neighborhoods.

17:27Slide.

17:29And so there are there are lots of

17:31benefits to thermal energy networks. You

17:32may have heard them from some of the

17:34folks at this table before, but I really

17:36just want to highlight a couple here.

17:38One is that thermal energy networks

17:39offer a really high efficiency source of

17:43heat and cool cool and cooling. So, that

17:45energy

17:47is lower than what you would use with

17:48natural gas. And so, we would, you know,

17:51be able to achieve lower building

17:52emissions through a thermal energy

17:54network. And we were really interested

17:56in this idea of being able to have a

17:58neighborhood scale impact, right? We

18:00know that each building individually

18:02will need some kind of upgrade, but the

18:03idea of being able to provide the source

18:05of heat or source the source of energy

18:08in a shared way for a neighborhood was

18:10really appealing to us.

18:12Slide, please.

18:15So, what were you know, we learned a lot

18:18from projects that either are coming

18:19online or all are are already online

18:22like Eversource's demonstration project

18:24in Framingham that are delivering data

18:26kind of in real-time. And what we didn't

18:28know was how this work would specific

18:30specifically

18:32land in Cambridge, right? Like with our

18:34density, with our streets, our land, if

18:37we were to move ahead with a project

18:38tomorrow, what would it look like and

18:39how much would it cost and and who could

18:41operate it? So, these projects are

18:44complicated. So, we wanted to know what

18:46kind of infrastructure we were going to

18:47need, what would it take to really

18:49convert and connect different types of

18:51buildings to a network, and who would

18:54ultimately be the kind of responsible

18:56entity to own and to operate a network.

19:00Slide.

19:02And to kind of reiterate here,

19:03geothermal is not new in Cambridge.

19:05There's a many buildings that we have

19:07that are already using ground source

19:08heat pumps for heating and cooling. This

19:10is a a list especially of some of the

19:12more recent schools. As a school is

19:15renovated, um often this is geothermal

19:17is the best way to achieve our

19:18decarbonization goals as a city.

19:21Slide.

19:23Uh and this is just a kind of tease of

19:25the work that Salas O'Brien has been

19:26involved with around the country um that

19:28they could speak to.

19:30Slide.

19:33So, knowing that there are many

19:34different ways to configure a thermal

19:36energy network, our goal for this

19:37project was really to find the best site

19:40uh for a existing neighborhood that

19:42really represents Cambridge um and could

19:44be scaled or replicated elsewhere and

19:46potentially tie into a bigger network

19:49like the one that we're talking about

19:50for Boston.

19:51So, Salas pretty quickly identified that

19:54the land for the borefield was the major

19:56limiting factor.

19:57Uh and we started out with these 38

19:59sites that kind of met that first filter

20:01sweep and then narrowed them down uh for

20:04a deeper analysis based on, you know,

20:06what is the land currently used for?

20:08What might be the impact to the

20:09community of a project like this? Who's

20:11around? So, which uh building owners,

20:14which anchor institutions are around the

20:16site that could who are bigger energy

20:18users that would be able to um tie in

20:21and interested to tie in.

20:22And then we looked at the energy

20:23balance, right? So, residential areas

20:26mostly need heat in the winter. They're

20:28not the ones with the the waste heat

20:30coming back into the system.

20:32So, the more suitable sites here had a

20:34more balanced energy load, which is

20:36really important for geothermal.

20:38And you will notice here, even though

20:39it's a high-level map, it's mostly, you

20:41know, mostly seeing parks as fitting

20:43these criteria cuz a network that is

20:45designed uh to serve a neighborhood is

20:47is looking at about an acre of land. Uh

20:50and in Cambridge, we know that these

20:51private parking lots or open spaces are

20:54unlikely to remain as open spaces or

20:57parking lots for the long term. Cuz when

20:59we think about an thermal energy

21:00network, we're thinking minimally of a

21:0150-year asset. Lasts a long time.

21:06And um

21:07at in this map, you know, green is

21:08representing a more favorable site for a

21:11pilot project and the orange represents

21:13a less suitable site. Slide, please.

21:18So, the main lessons from this site

21:20selection is that, you know, our our

21:22streets and our land they're they're

21:23busy. They've they've already got a lot

21:25of jobs. And so, several sites we found

21:28maybe technically feasible from an

21:29engineering perspective, but we weren't

21:31ready to move forward on any of them

21:33kind of due to these reasons on the

21:34screen. So, you know, one is land. The

21:37land doesn't exist in a vacuum, right?

21:38They're

21:39existing the kind of context of all

21:41these other users and I'm serving

21:43community needs.

21:45Surface parking lots that are changing

21:46over time to respond to other community

21:48priorities like the development of

21:50housing, for example.

21:52And streets. So, the space under our

21:55streets has a lot in it. There's gas,

21:58there's water, sewer, storm water,

22:00electric, telecommunications lines. You

22:02know, that's not a that's not a big deal

22:03to our DPW in the sense that our DPW

22:06deals with building in congested streets

22:09all the time. Um, but what it does do is

22:11kind of limit the direction that a

22:12thermal energy network could go in and

22:14complicate complicates navigating

22:16through the streets to the buildings, as

22:18well. So, think about, you know, a

22:21project that is north of Mass Ave

22:23couldn't couldn't move south of Mass Ave

22:25because the red line is there. And

22:26there's all these like big streets that

22:28have larger pieces of infrastructure

22:30that are harder to move around.

22:33And then there's also a structure that

22:35would be needed for a thermal energy

22:36network. It could be underground it

22:37could be placed underground at higher

22:40cost, but otherwise would need about 20

22:42to to a 20 by 20 to 40 foot structure to

22:46site somewhere.

22:48And there are some policy issues, as

22:51well, but really these were the main the

22:52main focuses. I think the ownership and

22:54operations was the one that really

22:56stopped us in our track here, which is

22:57thinking about, you know, who is set up

23:00to run this and to build this. Um you do

23:04need alignment across all private

23:06property owners uh because every

23:08building um would need some level of

23:09conversion and they're on different

23:11timelines, right? So, a building that

23:12was retrofit 5 years ago isn't going to

23:15have equipment that reaches end of life

23:16for another, you know, 10 15 years. Um

23:19so, how do we coordinate all of the

23:21private property owner needs um together

23:24on one around one site?

23:26And then, you know, for economics, who

23:28is going to pay for the project? That

23:30might be different from who be able who

23:31is able to access the savings from a

23:34project moving forward.

23:36So, instead of just picking a single

23:38site to tell the public about and to

23:40advance into construction, uh we ended

23:43up choosing one set one location to

23:45study in greater depth.

23:47Slide, please.

23:50So, that site is Pacific Street Park.

23:52It's located in Cambridge Port um as

23:54shown in the map with an MIT graduate

23:57housing building um just to the to the

24:00west there. Slide.

24:03And we chose this space because it has

24:06um several of the elements we found to

24:08be really interesting to research. There

24:10is space at the park and the dog park

24:12for the bore fields. There is a willing

24:15anchor institution that is nearby that

24:18um you know, could could support the and

24:20take on the energy from the site. And

24:24then, we also were curious about looking

24:26at rights of way. Really, what would it

24:28take to build a bore field in a linear

24:31fashion through, say for example, the

24:33bike path path, Waverly path, or some

24:35low-volume streets, Tudor Street and

24:37Emily Street here in this example. Uh we

24:39also liked that there was this mix of

24:41commercial buildings and residential

24:43buildings so that we could better

24:45understand what it would take to do

24:46these building conversions for different

24:48types and kind of classes of building.

24:51Slide.

24:54Um so, from here,

24:57um Salas had done a deep analysis of

24:59both the buildings and the

25:01infrastructure. This is a cost now or

25:03cost estimate

25:04that looks at the the cost for

25:07a hybrid project. And so, that is

25:10leaving the kind of final bit of the

25:12hottest and the coldest days unanswered

25:15as kind of the best fit for this site.

25:17So, this is we're calling it a 99%

25:20geothermal with that last 1% being the

25:22either the existing equipment or to be

25:24electrified over time.

25:26So, looking at the lowest possible cost

25:28to see how it could work, we found that

25:30most of the cost would really be for

25:31converting those buildings themselves.

25:34And then some entity would need to take

25:35on the development and the operation of

25:37the network.

25:39Slide.

25:41So, there does need to be some way to

25:43pay back the capital costs of the

25:44project. And this is an if, right? So,

25:46if this moves forward tomorrow and if

25:49we're looking at this conceptual site

25:51with just the incentives that are

25:53available today, then the you know, it

25:56would take 30 years to recoup the costs

25:59of the capital. And if the entity were

26:01to recoup those costs through bills

26:03alone, then the costs would double.

26:06Slide.

26:09So, this is kind of back to our starting

26:10question is what would it take to build

26:12this thermal energy network in

26:13Cambridge? The answer is that a lot of

26:15the puzzle pieces have to come together

26:17at the same time. So, the four general

26:19categories that we've distilled this

26:21down to and there is a more complicated

26:23puzzle with a the elementary to middle

26:26school number of pieces that we can find

26:28online.

26:30But really thinking about these

26:31categories as the place, right? So,

26:33looking for the right site that

26:36and the right source and the land to

26:38reach it, making sure that there's room

26:40under the streets, making sure that

26:41there's anchor customers that can tie

26:43in, that who want to join and a good

26:45balance of heating and cooling. And then

26:47the money, right? So, so the capital to

26:50build the actual project itself, a

26:52revenue model that could operate the the

26:56thermal energy network, a way to capture

26:58benefits that right now there's not a

26:59good opportunity to do. Like is there

27:03any savings in delaying, deferring, or

27:06obviating the need for a grid upgrades?

27:08Right now we can't we there isn't a way

27:10to turn that into cash for the project.

27:12And building owners

27:14ready to convert when their equipment is

27:16due for replacement. No falls into that.

27:19When do you pay? When do you really need

27:20to have these renovations

27:23independent of a thermal energy network

27:25project?

27:26The market is another puzzle piece here.

27:28We're really thinking about, you know,

27:30who the local drillers are. Are there

27:32HVAC workers that could do this? Is

27:33there equipment, commercial heat pump

27:35equipment for example,

27:37that can serve the needs of these

27:38buildings?

27:40And who really would be the entity that

27:42could manage the building conversions?

27:45And then the last kind of puzzle piece

27:46we have here as policy. There are some,

27:48you know, state policies that do offer a

27:51pathway forward, but they do add

27:53additional

27:54administrative and kind of legal process

27:55to get approval for

27:57using an open space for geothermal just

28:00like we've the city has actually had

28:02experience in for some of the school

28:03projects that we've had.

28:06So those are the puzzle pieces. I think

28:08that is the last slide.

28:10Maybe we can one more. Oh, here we go.

28:12What's that?

28:13Oh, okay. So So this is just showing

28:16some of the factors that kind of make it

28:17more possible and more difficult to move

28:20forward with a geothermal based thermal

28:21energy network. Thank you.

28:24>> Thank you. I want to note Harvard has a

28:25has several buildings that are thermal

28:27energy networks as well and we'll hear

28:28from MIT later about their plans. I want

28:31to turn it over to

28:33Eric and Audrey. I'm not sure which of

28:35the two of you want to go first, but

28:38let's

28:40>> Thank you. I'm happy to just take a

28:41couple of minutes here up front and then

28:43turn it over to Audrey.

28:46How's that? Yep, green light is on.

28:48Hopefully, you can hear me fine.

28:50Um my name is Eric. I am here to

28:53attempt to convey the uh the position of

28:55the folks over at HEET. Um had a great

28:57discussion with them and and looked

28:59through the slides. So, thank you for

29:00making those available. I think at a

29:02high level what I wanted to say is to

29:05point out um you know, what is the

29:07conclusion? What are we learning from

29:09this study? And I would argue that it's

29:12not necessarily saying is a thermal

29:14energy network viable in Cambridge? It

29:17is saying under these sets of

29:19assumptions and constraints, this is

29:21what, you know, the the project would

29:24look like. And I want to put a fine

29:26point on that because there were a

29:28number of assumptions specifically

29:29around available space, relying on

29:33boreholes, and how a network would be

29:35set up within the city that I think if

29:37you look at them through a different

29:39lens, you may come to a slightly

29:41different conclusion. So, I would

29:43suggest that starting from a position of

29:46"How do we make a thermal energy network

29:48viable in Cambridge?" and then working

29:50back into here's the criteria we would

29:52need and here's how we would find a site

29:55is a different way to approach it and it

29:57may show some different results.

30:00The main thing and and

30:02it was it was said on that last slide

30:04that was pulled up is low-cost thermal

30:06resources are absolutely a way to drive

30:09down project costs. And so, if you limit

30:12yourself to only boreholes up front and

30:14you don't consider waste heat, you don't

30:16consider the work that's going on with

30:18Boss 10 and using maybe water resources,

30:22and some other ways to heat and cool the

30:24network, um you're you're pretty

30:26handcuffed in what the results of that

30:28uh that study will say. In my opinion,

30:31it says Cambridge has a land problem.

30:34There's there's a lot of buildings. It's

30:36very dense, and it's hard to find open

30:38space for borefields. Which is fine, but

30:41I would say maybe we should say, "Okay,

30:44do we look at different ways to deploy

30:45bore fields? Do we look at angle

30:47drilling? Do we look at placing them

30:49underneath building footprints?" Some of

30:50the things that other major cities

30:52around the country are actively

30:54considering in projects right now. Um on

30:57the economic side of things, I also

30:59wanted to flag that my read of the study

31:01is that we're comparing to businesses

31:04usual. We're looking at what do we do

31:06today? What are the cost of fuels today?

31:09And we're not thinking about where does

31:11the city need to be in 10, 15, 20 years

31:14to meet its goals. And so, for example,

31:17something like the mass deployment of

31:19air source heat pumps on a building by

31:21building basis, those can look

31:23attractive. But if you consider what the

31:25grid build out needs to be here in the

31:28city and and what that's going to cost

31:30to put in

31:31potentially multiple new substations,

31:33for example, over that time period,

31:36um we want to look at this holistically.

31:38We want to say, "What will customer

31:39bills be at the end of the day when we

31:41have built out the electric grid to

31:43accommodate winter conditions in

31:45Massachusetts?" And so, finally, you

31:48know, the folks at HEET, they're doing a

31:50lot of great work on this. They have um

31:52some studies coming out very uh soon

31:55here in the near future. They have some

31:57research that they're actively

31:58undertaking. So, I would encourage

32:00everybody to, first and foremost, you

32:02you know, speak with them, ask

32:03questions, but look at all of this

32:06through the lens of what is best for the

32:09city and how do we make a thermal energy

32:11network work? What's the best case

32:13scenario? And, you know, as long as

32:16we're considering all of the options and

32:17we're going into this open and informed,

32:19that's how we make the best decisions.

32:21So, I will pass it over to Audrey cuz I

32:23know she has some slides, but hopefully

32:25um

32:26that viewpoint was communicated.

32:31>> Um so, thank you.

32:33Uh so, I think I'm just going to say in

32:35a longer way with visuals what Eric just

32:37said, and I'll try to make it as clear

32:39as possible. So, I'm from Black Swan

32:41Lab, it's a non-profit climate solutions

32:43incubator that's funded by Barr

32:45Foundation, MassCEC, and MAPC to help

32:48municipalities

32:50install thermal initiate the

32:52installation of thermal networks in

32:54every way. I am available to help you as

32:56you wish.

32:57Uh next slide. So, Cambridge is one of

33:00the best uh places in the world to

33:03install thermal networks because it is a

33:05gas island. It was originally one gas

33:08municipal

33:09uh you know, municipal plant. I think

33:12it's municipal. And uh every gas pipe

33:16ends at the at the border of the city.

33:19You can start to prune that gas tree

33:22anywhere you want at the borders of the

33:24build uh city on in, and probably in a

33:27lot of other places, too.

33:29Uh no almost no other city has that

33:32ability. And also, Cambridge is

33:35the you know, the city known for being

33:38environmental. It has money. It is

33:41incumbent upon Cambridge to do this well

33:44and think it through.

33:46Uh and uh there's so many people

33:48available to help them. Next.

33:51Uh the study considered only boreholes

33:55as was stated. That is the most

33:57expensive thermal source possible,

33:59especially in an area where the land is

34:02very valuable and has dense

34:04infrastructure on it. Why only

34:06boreholes? Next. If you were going to

34:09choose anything for you know, if there

34:11was a restriction in the money of for

34:12the study, why not choose uh wastewater?

34:16There's currently a state grant for it,

34:18or waste heat, or aquifers, or all the

34:21other ways that you can install thermal

34:23you know, that you can access thermal

34:25energy. Next.

34:28It did not look at Harvard, MIT, or

34:31Lesley Land to locate those boreholes

34:33in. Those are That's got to be 20% of

34:36Cambridge land, right? Why? I don't

34:38understand. Next.

34:41It included the cost of the building

34:44retrofits as though it was additional.

34:46Next, we have Budo here.

34:50All of the large buildings must

34:52transition.

34:54Why are we adding that cost as though

34:56it's additional? Maybe you just add the

34:59that assume that the buildings would be

35:01decarbonized faster than otherwise and

35:03you pay the difference.

35:06In that, you know, for that time period,

35:08but certainly you shouldn't do the whole

35:10cost

35:11as though it is additional.

35:13Next.

35:15Did not consider that with

35:17ultra-efficient thermal networks, the

35:19electric grid upgrades would be less

35:21expensive. Next, and the that money

35:23could potentially be moved to pay for

35:25the building retrofits that were not

35:28covered by Budo.

35:30And I know that's not allowed

35:32regulatorily yet,

35:34but this is the year to suggest it to

35:36the state.

35:38And I think with Eversource being both

35:40the gas and the electric provider, it's

35:42possible to bargain that through as a

35:44pilot study.

35:46Next.

35:48The customer savings looked suspiciously

35:51tiny.

35:52I don't know why because none of the

35:54analysis has been made available to

35:56anybody. I would love to see it. I would

35:57love to help with it. Next.

36:00The you know, what's the efficiency

36:01assumption for the system?

36:03What's the Was the electric heat pump

36:05rate used? Were the customers supposed

36:07to be paying back the retrofits? It

36:09looks like that. Um and uh a you know,

36:13was it compared to gas?

36:16We don't know. Next.

36:20The thing about gas is the price is

36:22extremely volatile as we all experienced

36:24last year.

36:26And that the energy price, the price of

36:29energy is one of the most common reasons

36:32that people become homeless.

36:34It is

36:35extremely important to businesses to be

36:38able to know in the future what their

36:40price of energy will be.

36:43With gas, we do not know. Next, with

36:46thermal energy, because it is simply

36:49installing the thermal infrastructure

36:51and paying back for that, as well as

36:54paying for the operations and

36:56maintenance, we can know that. It can be

36:58similar to a mortgage.

37:00So, next, it is going to thermal energy,

37:04if it is calculated, you know, done

37:06through a energy as a service agreement,

37:09it could be considered an economic

37:11development. Next.

37:13Finally, and this is probably the most

37:16important. In Cambridge, we have both

37:19Zeina Magavi and me who helped get

37:23thermal networks being considered

37:24nationally as something the gas

37:26utilities could go towards.

37:29We helped make them as an option across

37:32the country. We We both help advise

37:36cities and states nationally. Please ask

37:40for help.

37:41Because we'd love to help, really.

37:44>> [laughter]

37:45>> And uh so, now, next, ways forward.

37:50Look at it at how other public entities

37:52have installed these systems. I have a

37:54list there. There's a There's more of

37:56them.

37:57Look at third-party installations.

38:00Uh there's a list of them there.

38:03Uh and these are not all ambient

38:04temperature systems, but they are, you

38:06know, you know, thermal networks. Uh and

38:10talk to state regulators to consider

38:12options and figure out how Cambridge can

38:14help to make real systems change here.

38:17How we can help to create a system that

38:21changes how the state looks at this and

38:24how the country does because we have

38:25that opportunity. We can do it next.

38:30And my personal suggestion is that we

38:33pick a site now, potentially with many

38:36Budo buildings, and some local electric

38:39grid constraints.

38:40And we don't assume that the thermal

38:42energy is coming from boreholes.

38:44And we work with large local landowners.

38:48And we create an RFP working with local

38:51experts.

38:53And create in that RFP the stipulations

38:56that the city would be proud of.

38:58Flat thermal bills through energy as a

39:01service. Non-Budo building retrofits

39:04paid for by electric grid constraint,

39:06you know, costs, avoided costs, etc.

39:09Whatever would make Cambridge proud to

39:12be transitioning equitably and quickly

39:15and in a thoughtful way.

39:17And with energy bill affordability. And

39:19then issue the RFP for outside entities,

39:22Eversource and others. We got Vicinity

39:24at the table here

39:26to install an ambient temperature

39:29thermal network, the kind of system that

39:31can deliver heating and cooling as we

39:33move towards cooling-dominant city.

39:37Consider those proposals. You can always

39:39refuse them.

39:41And again, many people in Cambridge

39:43would be so happy to help.

39:45Uh I think uh last one. Yeah, that's it.

39:49Thank you.

39:51>> All right, and that was concise also, so

39:54Yeah.

39:54>> [laughter]

39:56>> Um thank you. I try to always.

39:59>> So, and also what I love is that I know

40:01the city loves this push kind of like

40:04pushing us. It it's totally in line with

40:07who we are cuz that's the only way we

40:08make progress is to make sure that we

40:10test our assumptions. So, but I will

40:12keep us on track and next turn to

40:14Vicinity Energy, who I have to say was

40:17unbelievable when you think about what

40:19Vicinity does, and I remember going

40:21there to look at the the way that you

40:24were transforming energy. And it's

40:26Anyway, I'll I'll let you do your

40:27presentation, but it's it's really

40:29exciting to have you at the table, and I

40:30know Matt O'Malley didn't get a chance

40:32to introduce himself. A recovering

40:34elected official is here also, so

40:38>> Well, I couldn't have done with a better

40:38introduction than that. So, thank you,

40:40Chairwoman Nolan.

40:41Uh so, first off, a big thank you, uh

40:43Chairwoman Nolan, and also to the

40:44committee members. Uh

40:45very excited to be here and talk about

40:47what we're doing to move the ball

40:48forward on decarbonizing cities.

40:51It's very exciting for me to be part of

40:52a group where we're talking about uh new

40:54technologies, and we're talking about

40:56pushing things forward to be able to

40:57decarbonize. So, today I'm going to talk

40:58about what Vicinity is doing to move the

41:01ball forward and new tech that we're

41:03putting in place to decarbonize the

41:05cities of Boston and Cambridge. And I'm

41:06very excited to say that we are well

41:08underway on this.

41:09Uh

41:10I I welcome anybody to stop by our plant

41:12so you can see what we're doing. We're

41:13We currently put online just recently

41:15one of the largest e-boilers on the

41:16continent. And we are in the process of

41:19constructing the largest heat pump in

41:20the world. Uh and

41:23if you're going to stop by the plant,

41:24stop by the plant soon cuz we actually

41:26just opened up the space. I have a

41:27picture to show where the heat pump's

41:28going to go. Uh before we opened up the

41:30space, I wasn't quite sure it was the

41:32biggest in the world, but now that I can

41:33see the space where it's going, it's

41:34definitely the biggest in the world.

41:37All right. So, with that, uh if we could

41:38pull up the slide deck, please.

41:44>> [clears throat]

41:49>> Okay, next slide.

41:51All right. So, a little bit about uh

41:53Vicinity Energy. So, we're the largest

41:55owner and operator of district energy

41:56systems in the United States. This is

41:59the Boston and Cambridge district energy

42:00system. It is approximately 71 million

42:02square feet or 29 miles of piping. Uh we

42:05are actively growing. We add about a

42:07mile of pipe per year.

42:08Uh and we are putting online uh multiple

42:11millions of square foot uh every couple

42:12years. So, it is something that is

42:14growing and one of the reasons it's

42:15growing is we have seen that with how

42:17we're advancing sustainability and

42:18decarbonization, we've shown up with

42:20what we call an affordable sustainable

42:22solution. And we have seen that if you

42:23can make sustainability affordable, that

42:25it sells. And I can talk about how we

42:27are going to be able to quickly

42:29decarbonize the Boston Cambridge system

42:31uh with what we're currently doing.

42:33Uh so, as a point of reference uh

42:35when I talk about 71 million square

42:37feet, uh it's a little difficult for

42:38people to try to picture that. The

42:40Prudential Center is about a million

42:41square feet.

42:42Uh so, we serve approximately 71

42:44uh Prudential Centers if you want to

42:46think about size. Another way to think

42:48about it is if you look on the Boston or

42:49Cambridge skyline, we serve typically

42:50the most marquee buildings, the largest

42:52buildings. Approximately four out of

42:54five buildings on the skyline are

42:55connected to the district energy system.

42:58Next slide.

43:03All right. So, what are we doing?

43:05So, at Vicinity, we our mission is to

43:08decarbonize cities.

43:10And we're doing that with a formula that

43:12has been applied over in Europe. We have

43:13shamelessly copied it, made it suitable

43:15for the American market, and that's what

43:16we're rolling out across where we do

43:18business. So, Boston and Cambridge are

43:20the first cities where we're rolling

43:21this out, but this is something we're

43:22actively doing in place in Philadelphia,

43:24Baltimore. Uh we're going to be turning

43:26on a large e-boiler in Grand Rapids

43:28later this year. So, this isn't talk.

43:30This is something that's actually

43:31happening.

43:32So, the first piece of equipment, much

43:33like the electric grid, we have three

43:35separate pieces of equipment that we're

43:36going to be putting in place. We have to

43:38have peakers that represent the fact

43:39that we have large swings in our energy

43:41that needs to be served. That's our

43:43e-boiler.

43:44Last year, we put on a 42-MW e-boiler.

43:47This is something that we started back

43:49in

43:50uh

43:52November of '22.

43:54November of '24. Yeah, November '24.

43:57Uh and it is online as of November of

43:582025. So, this is something that

44:01uh

44:02or I'm sorry. We started it in '22. It

44:03entered service on November of 2024.

44:05We've been at it for a little while, so

44:07uh this is something that started out uh

44:10as our peaking service, but one of the

44:12things we've seen that's really

44:12interesting is we have a lot of hours on

44:15the New England ISO grid where we have

44:16surplus solar that drives the power

44:17price negative. We anticipated

44:19approximately 1 to 3% of our hours of

44:21operation being taken advantage of

44:22balancing the grid. About 15% of our

44:25hours are balancing the grid. So, what

44:26you'll see if you stop by any given

44:28time, you can see the green light on the

44:29boiler there. Uh much like an electric

44:31car, you can't actually hear it run, so

44:33we had to put a light on it so we could

44:34tell that it's on. Uh so, if you walk by

44:36the plant and you'll see that light go

44:38from green to red or red to green, and

44:40what's happening is the operators are

44:41watching the power price on the grid.

44:43And as we get surplus solar events, we

44:45get surplus power events, we'll turn the

44:46boiler on to help balance the grid. So,

44:48it's something that we've seen that is

44:50not only helping balance the grid, but

44:51as part of us being able to import those

44:53low-cost wholesale power prices, we can

44:56then turn around and sell a decarbonized

44:59uh energy product at a very, very

45:00competitive price.

45:02The second technology is the one that

45:03I'm most excited about uh is our heat

45:06pump. So, this picture up here is a heat

45:08pump that we have visited over in

45:09Copenhagen. Uh so, I'm glad to say I

45:11think that's a 35-MW machine behind us

45:13there. Uh we're putting in a 38. We had

45:15to do a bigger.

45:17And this is going to be our base load

45:19technology.

45:20Uh the heat pump is a river source heat

45:22pump.

45:23We leverage existing infrastructure. One

45:25of the things that we're very proud of

45:26at Vicinity is our mission is to

45:28decarbonize cities, and as part of that

45:30is is leveraging existing infrastructure

45:32and incorporating that with new

45:33technologies. And I think that's the way

45:35that we move things forward.

45:38And as part of using our existing

45:39technology our existing infrastructure,

45:41we're leveraging the old river water

45:43intakes that go into the facility that

45:44the facility back when it used to

45:45generate power at that facility would be

45:48used for cooling. We no longer use it

45:49for cooling, but we have all the

45:50infrastructure there. So, we can bring

45:52in large volumes of river water, put

45:53that through our heat pump, cool that

45:55river water off about 4° Fahrenheit, and

45:57then send that river back send that

45:59water back out to the river. It allows

46:00us to peel off just a little bit of

46:02energy. The heat pump then concentrates

46:04that energy up into a high temperature

46:05and that's what we send out to the

46:06Boston and Cambridge systems.

46:08It's a very, very economic way. It's

46:10more economic than our e-boiler that is

46:11going to be online in 2028 and we are

46:13anticipating our system getting up close

46:16to 30 to 40% decarbonized when that

46:17piece of equipment comes online in 2028.

46:19We're enormously excited about it.

46:22The last piece of technology we're going

46:23to be putting in place, much like the

46:24electric grid, you have to have storage.

46:26So, we're in the process of of

46:28determining what technology we want to

46:30put in place. We have the footprint and

46:32we have the ability to be able to store

46:33upwards of 1 gigawatt of thermal storage

46:35at our site in Kendall. So, if you have

46:37the pleasure of stopping by our facility

46:38in 10 years, what you'll see is you'll

46:40see a couple e-boilers there, you'll see

46:41multiple river source heat pumps and

46:43you'll see a large gigawatt thermal

46:44storage that's working all in tandem.

46:46These three technologies put together

46:48allow us to affordably decarbonize the

46:51cities of Boston and Cambridge and it's

46:52something we're actively doing and it is

46:54growing at a rate that is

46:56much greater than what we expected. Next

46:58slide.

47:02So, some timelines. Like I talked about,

47:04we are in the process of actually doing

47:06this. So, our e-steam volumes at the top

47:08there,

47:092025 was our first year of operation

47:11where we had our e-boiler available.

47:13Less than 1% of our total steam sales

47:16were e-steam. E-steam is our

47:19I think because we have more engineers

47:20than marketing people in the company, we

47:22call it e-steam.

47:23And e-steam is where we import

47:25decarbonized electricity into our

47:27e-boiler or in the future in 2028 import

47:29decarbonized electricity into our heat

47:31pump and then turn around and send that

47:33decarbonized steam out onto the system.

47:35So, we've seen a 5x growth between 2025

47:37and 2026 and just as a point if you

47:40remember from the the second slide that

47:41I showed, we serve about 71 to 73 or 71

47:45to 73 million square feet of building

47:46space. So, that 5% is about 3.6 million

47:50square feet. So, that's we've already

47:52decarbonized approximately three, almost

47:54four Prudential Centers.

47:55So, we are actively in the process of

47:57doing this. We anticipate in 2027 we

47:59already have subscriptions that get us

48:01up above 20 or get us above 10% and then

48:03when the heat pump goes online in 2028,

48:05again, the heat pump by itself is

48:07capable of doing about 26 to 28% of our

48:09total steam flow

48:10uh and with this incremental load that

48:12we're seeing already, we anticipate

48:14being close to 40% decarbonized after

48:16the heat pump comes online. So, this is

48:18moving a lot faster than we anticipated

48:20and like I said, approaching the market

48:21with an affordable sustainable solution

48:23works.

48:26I've already talked a little about uh

48:27our heat pump. That's going to come

48:28online in 2028. That picture off to the

48:30right, uh I love the irony of the fact

48:32that in order to make space for the heat

48:34pump, we took out an old retired coal

48:36boiler.

48:38So, the facility used to be coal, it's

48:39not anymore. We use natural gas.

48:41Uh but, we had an old coal boiler that

48:43we had some space, we demoed it out and

48:45as you can see, that space there goes up

48:47approximately 6 to 7 stories. That

48:49entire space is going to get filled by

48:50the heat pump, so it is going to live up

48:52to the name of the largest heat pump in

48:53the world. Very excited about it.

48:56All right, next phase. Uh we're already

48:58starting on the design for heat pump

48:59number two. Uh we've got a lot of

49:01interest in heat pump one. We anticipate

49:02that coming online fully subscribed.

49:05Uh and we are also starting design in a

49:06harbor source heat pump on the south

49:07side of the system. Uh so, this is a

49:09technology that that works. Uh it's a

49:12technology that's been deployed over in

49:13Europe. We've retooled a little bit for

49:15the US market, uh but it is something

49:17that we're very excited about and is is

49:19growing under its own power. We've

49:20already sourced the capital for these.

49:22Uh we are in the process of sourcing

49:23customers. We have existing technology.

49:25It's simply just a matter of marching it

49:26forward like we are.

49:29By 2035, we anticipate over half of our

49:32system is going to be fully decarbonized

49:33and we are well on our way to meeting

49:35the city's decarbonization goals and

49:37well on our way to meeting our own

49:38internal decarbonization goals. Very

49:40proud of it.

49:42Next slide.

49:47So, this slide just wanted to talk about

49:48some of the collaboration. One of the

49:49more exciting things about bringing

49:51cutting-edge technology into Cambridge

49:53is it's a phenomenal place for

49:54partnerships. We can bring in multiple

49:56different entities and people that that

49:58we can show how we're moving the ball

50:00forward on decarbonizing cities, and we

50:01can show how we are establishing the

50:03blueprint of how you decarbonize large

50:05energy dense cities.

50:07And we've had many through the facility.

50:09We've got

50:10we've we've got regulators up there.

50:12We've got some students from MIT that

50:13they've come in, and it's simply just

50:15trying to show how we can decarbonize

50:18cities, how we can do it affordably, and

50:19how we can do it quickly. And we have

50:21the blueprint. It's the same blueprint

50:22that's been deployed over in Europe, and

50:23we're simply just deploying that over

50:25here, just retool for the US market.

50:29That's correct.

50:32Next slide.

50:35All right. And I'll hold off for any

50:36questions until later. Thank you.

50:38>> Oh my gosh, I have several questions,

50:39but I am going to hold off. Next up,

50:42thank you so much. Um

50:44campus heat recovery in MIT's buildings,

50:46campus planning. Take it away, Joe and

50:48Sarah.

50:54>> You just need to turn the mic on,

50:55please.

50:55>> Sure. Thank you, Madam Chair, Vice

50:57Mayor, and and counselors.

50:59Um delighted to be part of this

51:00conversation today. As some of you know,

51:02MIT's been on district energy systems

51:04since it came over to Cambridge over 100

51:06years ago. So, today it's about 10

51:08million square feet, and well over a 100

51:10buildings are on that district energy

51:12system. And and that's evolved over time

51:14from from coal to oil to natural gas to

51:16next generation cogeneration technology,

51:18and now we're currently in design of

51:19electrifying major part of the heat for

51:21our district energy system. But, I did

51:23want to take a few minutes just to

51:25provide an update on, you know, sort of

51:27a little bit broader progress on the

51:28campus. We have many teams working on

51:29energy efficiency and decarbonization

51:31planning.

51:32Um and as many of you know, MIT had um

51:35campus decarbonization goals as part of

51:37its Fast Forward Climate Plan, which we

51:39our president launched in in 2021. And

51:42here we are now 5 years later, many of

51:44those goals have been achieved or on

51:45schedule, including improving building

51:47energy efficiency, expanding our rooftop

51:49solar, and progressing towards our net

51:50zero carbon goals. So, just some some

51:53fact points. MIT's cut energy use per

51:55square foot across our campus by more

51:58than 10% over the past decade, and

52:00that's despite campus significant campus

52:02growth and more intensive intensive

52:04research activity

52:06on our campus. Our rooftop solar

52:08generation has increased by more than

52:10fivefold. We recently installed our

52:12solar panels on our student center, the

52:14Dewey Library, new Vassar Dorm, a

52:16Graduate Junction, and the Theater Arts

52:17building.

52:1833 MIT building projects over the past

52:21decade have earned a LEED certification

52:23for energy efficiency. We've completed

52:25more than 300 energy efficiency projects

52:28across the campus

52:29with an emphasis on our energy intense

52:31research facilities

52:33with great partnerships from the city

52:35and Eversource and and supporting us in

52:37that endeavor. One example, building 46,

52:40which is home to our brain and cognitive

52:41sciences complex, we identified major

52:45energy users,

52:46and a recent renovation of those energy

52:48systems reduced carbon emissions by 35%,

52:51which represented roughly 2% of the

52:52overall reduction of our campus

52:54emissions. And then most recently,

52:57and you may have heard the Metropolitan

52:58Storage Warehouse opened to as the new

53:01headquarters for our School of

53:02Architecture

53:03and Planning, and that uses an

53:05innovative system that captures waste

53:07heat from the campus cooling system. It

53:09uses electric heat pumps that then heat

53:12the building. We did look at boreholes

53:14for that particular project, but it was

53:15a third of the economic life cycle cost

53:18to actually just use waste heat rather

53:19than

53:21boreholes to supply the heat for that

53:23for the heat pump systems.

53:25And again, future renovations are going

53:26to continue to embed efficiency

53:28measures, smart ventilation, expanded

53:30heat recovery, and we're also using

53:32AI-supported temperature management

53:33across our classrooms,

53:35and and taking into consideration

53:37weather occupancy patterns and grid

53:39carbon intensity. And lastly, you may

53:41have seen the announcement of building

53:4239.

53:43It's an older building on campus, but it

53:45will be the new home for MIT's quantum

53:47research lab. It's projected to house uh

53:51one or two or three uh major quantum

53:53computers. But overall, the facility is

53:55projected to reduce energy use and

53:57emissions by about 70% compared to what

53:59the existing building baseline energy

54:01use was in the past. So, we were really

54:03happy to to set that that goal. So now,

54:05to further modernize our thermal energy

54:07network um and decarbonize on an urban

54:10campus, um we're going to continue to

54:12evolve how we produce energy and how we

54:15distribute energy across the campus. Uh

54:18there's several foundational elements

54:20that will shift our heat production from

54:22burning natural gas to using electricity

54:25in an increasingly green power grid. Um

54:27and the first element to that is

54:30starting design on a new large-scale

54:32electric heat pump plant. So, what we

54:33learned from the Met Warehouse

54:35um is that we could aim to recover waste

54:37heat from our district cooling system,

54:39and that could supply up to 30 to 40% of

54:42our campus um heating needs.

54:44Um the the technology that's out there

54:46today is new. Um as as Vicinity had

54:48mentioned, there's some exciting new

54:50large-scale heat pumps that we're

54:51evaluating different configurations, but

54:53we're currently in the design um to do

54:55that. And again, it would use

54:56electricity, produce hot water

54:59for campus uh heating. Um we're also

55:01exploring opportunities on the MIT

55:03campus for possible future use of

55:04geothermal air sources.

55:06Uh it it could be boreholes, um but

55:09again, accessing locations and potential

55:11thermal yield is something that we're

55:12currently evaluating um and and and

55:14assessing. So, we're doing early design

55:16and logistics planning on on how we

55:18might um unlock some of these uh new

55:20energy sources, uh but we don't have any

55:23like specific plans at this time as

55:26we're still going through the

55:27infrastructure challenges. As Arina

55:28said, the streets are busy. There's a

55:30lot of utilities, there's a lot of

55:31trees, and how you get the pipes to

55:32interconnect some of these things is

55:34currently under evaluation. Um another

55:36element to decarbonizing the district

55:38energy system is continuing to replace a

55:40lot of the legacy steam distribution

55:42piping um, and buildings uh, to a hot

55:45water. So, more buildings will be

55:46converted uh, from steam to hot water

55:49um, on our campus and we're currently

55:50into design to uh, to you know, continue

55:52that work. And then um, I think the last

55:54building block is one we're going to

55:56talk about very soon is developing a

55:57shared regional um, energy

55:59infrastructure. So, you know, MIT in in

56:02you know, collaboration with with

56:03Harvard and the city and and Boston

56:05University and Northeastern many

56:06institutions, municipalities. Um, we

56:08really see that it's essential to do

56:09decarbonization at scale. We can't we

56:11can't just do this one building at a

56:12time. Um, and MIT is an anchor

56:15participant in the Boston project and

56:16we're currently designing our heat pump

56:18plant to take advantage of that thermal

56:20energy network citywide for for the

56:23remainder um, 60 to 70% of source heat

56:27uh, that that we're going to need. So,

56:29so we're really excited uh, by this

56:30collective effort. Um, you know, we've

56:32gone over and seen it firsthand in in

56:34Denmark and Germany with many of the

56:36people here in this room. We know it can

56:37be done um, but it's a matter of policy,

56:40governance, owner operator structures

56:42and I think that's what we're going to

56:42be spending uh, the rest of our our time

56:45here discussing today.

56:49>> Anything to add from MIT? All right. Um,

56:52we'll go to is Boston

56:56online? That's what

57:01>> Hey, yes. Can you guys hear me okay?

57:03>> Yes, Lindsay. Thank you and I believe

57:04you did get our your presentation. So,

57:07is that true? If you queued up Mr. Evan,

57:09yeah. So, if you we can queue it up for

57:11you and move forward if you want to

57:12introduce yourself and take it away.

57:15>> Sure, absolutely happy to. Thank you so

57:17much

57:18um, Madam Chair, Vice Mayor and members

57:20of the City Council. Thank you for

57:22having us and giving us the opportunity

57:24to share with you a little bit about the

57:26Boston project. Uh, my name is Dr.

57:29Lindsay Butler. I'm the Executive

57:30Director of the Boston Green Ribbon

57:33Commission.

57:34Next slide, please.

57:38Just a little bit about the GRC for

57:41those of you who are not familiar. The

57:43GRC is a member-based organization that

57:46convenes Boston's most influential

57:48institutions to accelerate the climate

57:51action plan for the city of Boston. We

57:53advance multi-sector collaboration for

57:56both mitigation and adaptation and are

57:58an international model for

58:00public-private climate action networks.

58:02Next slide, please. [music]

58:05While the GRC was created about 15 years

58:08ago to advance climate action work for

58:10Boston, we have a great deal of overlap

58:14in our membership and a lot of ways in

58:16which we touch the city of Cambridge.

58:19You'll see some of Cambridge's biggest

58:21anchor institutions are also members of

58:23the GRC

58:25and that includes Harvard, MIT. We also

58:29have our utilities as members of the

58:32GRC. So, National Grid, Eversource and

58:35Vicinity. A lot of our other property

58:38owners like BXP and Mass General also

58:41overlap the sort of Boston-Cambridge

58:43line. And so, while the GRC exists to

58:46advance the city of Boston's climate

58:48action work, we really see a great deal

58:50of regional overlap in our engagement

58:54with our members. Next slide, please.

58:58We have three areas of strategic focus

59:00at the GRC.

59:02When we look at the things we're trying

59:05to advance both here in Boston and

59:07regionally on climate action and we sort

59:09of combine that with the power of our

59:11members, where can we be most effective?

59:14And that is on large building

59:16decarbonization,

59:18grid modernization and the energy

59:19transition and coastal resilience. Next

59:23slide.

59:25That work is driven through uh six

59:28working groups that are sort of the

59:29heart of the GRC. Healthcare, higher

59:33education, cultural institutions,

59:35commercial real estate, coastal

59:37resilience, and grid modernization. Uh

59:39and the city of Cambridge and Cambridge

59:41institutions are represented across all

59:44six of those working groups. Next slide.

59:49So now that everyone has a very brief um

59:52overview of what the GRC is and how we

59:54overlap with institutions across

59:57Cambridge, I'm now going to speak a

59:59little bit about the Boston project. Um

1:00:02as Joe just alluded to, um many

1:00:06institutions are examining the role of

1:00:09ground source geothermal in particular

1:00:12um as a part of their campus-wide

1:00:14decarbonization strategies. And Boston,

1:00:18I think was the convergence of many

1:00:20people's ideas about how we can

1:00:24decarbonize at scale. Um you heard about

1:00:28from Kevin all of the opportunities we

1:00:31see to use this this technology that we

1:00:33learned from our uh friends in Europe

1:00:36and how Vicinity is altering that for

1:00:38the US market, um but there's so much

1:00:41excitement among GRC members about

1:00:43geothermal energy. But there's also a

1:00:46lot of challenges. Um as we've seen in

1:00:48Cambridge and as we see in Boston, we

1:00:51have a very uh crowded and dense

1:00:53underground. We are two very old cities.

1:00:57And so um among leaders of the higher

1:01:00education working group and with the

1:01:02support of people like Audrey and Zeinab

1:01:04who I know are there with you in the

1:01:06room today, there was this idea to think

1:01:10about how we could share a thermal

1:01:13reservoir for decarbonization

1:01:16decarbonization at scale uh versus

1:01:18everyone having to take this on on their

1:01:21own. Next slide, please.

1:01:25Uh in collaboration with our funders,

1:01:27the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

1:01:29and the city of Boston, uh the Green

1:01:31Ribbon Commission convenes um

1:01:34approximately 25 institutions and large

1:01:37property owners in the Boston effort.

1:01:41Next slide, please.

1:01:44And what we are trying to do is examine

1:01:46the feasibility

1:01:48of tapping into these shared reservoirs

1:01:52um as our thermal sources. So, the study

1:01:54is examining the feasibility

1:01:57of utilizing um ocean source um heat

1:02:02pumps. We would be looking at the Boston

1:02:04Harbor, the Fort Point Channel, the

1:02:07Mystic River, and the Charles River, as

1:02:10well as the bedrock beneath those rivers

1:02:13um as the start of this shared thermal

1:02:15energy network. Next slide, please.

1:02:20The study has five key deliverables that

1:02:23we're looking to answer. Uh first,

1:02:25related to thermal supply, how much

1:02:28clean thermal energy can be reliably

1:02:30extracted and or stored in these

1:02:33identified thermal reservoirs. Uh

1:02:36distribution, how can thermal energy be

1:02:38transported efficiently from those

1:02:41resources to our potential users? Uh

1:02:44thermal demand, where is there

1:02:46sufficient demand to support investment

1:02:49in this shared thermal infrastructure?

1:02:52Investment opportunities, for those

1:02:55places where we've identified that

1:02:57technical and economic feasibility

1:02:59exists and is demonstrated, where can we

1:03:03move forward first? Um and lastly, the

1:03:06regulatory and policy considerations

1:03:08that will be relevant to this work. What

1:03:11are the regulatory, permitting, and

1:03:13ownership issues that must be addressed

1:03:16before these projects can be

1:03:18implemented. Next slide, please.

1:03:22We have a variety of different ways that

1:03:24we are convening stakeholders around

1:03:26this work. We have a stakeholder

1:03:28advisory group, which includes the city

1:03:31of Cambridge and several of Cambridge um

1:03:34largest property owners and institutions

1:03:36like Harvard and MIT. Uh the stakeholder

1:03:39advisory group helps guide the project

1:03:41analysis and recommendations.

1:03:43Uh and the SAG will serve as the core

1:03:45stakeholder of the group to guide the

1:03:47project. Next slide, please.

1:03:51A little bit about the roles that that

1:03:53SAG plays in Boston. Uh they provide

1:03:56requested data to support an accurate

1:03:58analysis and make sure that the study

1:04:01reflects stakeholder needs and the local

1:04:03conditions. They're helping to inform

1:04:05the project design, providing uh

1:04:08feedback on interim deliverables and

1:04:10project recommendations, and advocating

1:04:13for key next steps to really get this

1:04:15work implemented. Next slide, please.

1:04:19The project also has a technical

1:04:21advisory group that we've established to

1:04:23provide objective third-party feedback

1:04:26on possible solutions to advance Boston

1:04:28area clean thermal energy networks. Um

1:04:31and I think you're going to hear from a

1:04:33member of our technical advisory group

1:04:35with HEET. Next slide.

1:04:38A little bit more about what the TAG is

1:04:40providing us input on specific technical

1:04:43issues, a sounding board to Salis

1:04:45O'Brien, who is the engineering

1:04:47consultant lead on the project, and

1:04:49feedback on our key assumptions, data

1:04:51sources, methodologies, uh and key

1:04:54questions. Next slide.

1:04:58Here's a little bit of a timeline of our

1:04:59project and when you should um expect to

1:05:03hear more about the findings of Boston's

1:05:06feasibility.

1:05:07Next slide.

1:05:10And a little bit about why we are doing

1:05:12this. Um as Joe said, we are interested

1:05:16in large building decarbonization at

1:05:18scale. Uh we know we can move more

1:05:20effectively, efficiently, and faster

1:05:23when we do this together.

1:05:24Uh we are looking to obviously reduce

1:05:26reliance on fossil fuels um because of

1:05:29the health improvements that come with

1:05:31that, the jobs that it can bring into

1:05:32our region, and the freedom from

1:05:35volatility of fossil fuel markets that

1:05:37we are currently seeing driven by

1:05:39geopolitical forces. We are looking to

1:05:42achieve a lower levelized cost of energy

1:05:45with distribution and connection shared

1:05:47over several users. We want to see

1:05:49owners pay less per unit of delivered

1:05:51comfort. Uh we know that energy is

1:05:54exchanged and not produced in a thermal

1:05:56energy network, which gives us a higher

1:05:58coefficient of performance. We are

1:06:00looking to reduce electric grid strain.

1:06:03We believe this can help reduce peak

1:06:05demand, uh reduces needs for the costly

1:06:07grid infrastructure improvements that we

1:06:09think we'll need to make as we electrify

1:06:11everything, um and allows for necessary

1:06:14redundancies in these anchor

1:06:15institutions.

1:06:17I think that's it.

1:06:21>> Okay. Oh my gosh, it's even more

1:06:23exciting with every presentation. Um

1:06:27So before I know there's um

1:06:30I think we have a couple people on

1:06:31public comment, and also I want to make

1:06:33sure that Lean, if you want to just say

1:06:35who you are and introduce yourself now

1:06:37that you're at the table.

1:06:40>> Thank you. Um good morning good

1:06:41afternoon everyone. My name is Lean

1:06:43Hayek. I'm a supervisor with Eversource

1:06:45Energy with a clean technology team.

1:06:48Currently working on the Framingham

1:06:49pilot and expansion. It's great to be

1:06:51here. Thank you.

1:06:53>> Because of course that is the epicenter

1:06:55of all of our hopes and dreams, the

1:06:57Framingham pilot. Although Mesa

1:06:59University in Colorado is also one of

1:07:01those cuz they've been in in place for

1:07:02what, 15 years? Um Uh, I do just want to

1:07:06remind us of one of the things that um,

1:07:08was just noted which we don't talk

1:07:10enough about is the opportunity cost of

1:07:13not doing something. We really just

1:07:15think well this is just something where

1:07:17we either choose to do or not, but the

1:07:19opportunity cost of not moving forward

1:07:21with something that is clean energy, but

1:07:23the critically important thing is the

1:07:25health impact that we know for sure

1:07:28every single people

1:07:30place that has fossil fuels like my home

1:07:32that is has a gas stove is actually

1:07:35compromising health and we know for

1:07:37vulnerable populations that asthma rates

1:07:38have have continued to skyrocket because

1:07:42we have not taken this on. So, I'm just

1:07:44reminding us all of that that those are

1:07:45costs that should be included. But, I

1:07:47will go to public comment I know a news

1:07:49from MIT Geo is here if you want to

1:07:51start out with that for a few minutes

1:07:52and then I don't know if other people

1:07:54have signed up.

1:08:01Oh, Lean did you want to say something?

1:08:02Did you or no? Someone no.

1:08:05Yeah.

1:08:07>> Can I make one clarifying point cuz it

1:08:09might be not clear from what was said?

1:08:12Uh, thermal ambient temperature thermal

1:08:14networks is what uh, Black Swan Lab and

1:08:17Heat are pushing for. They have the

1:08:19highest efficiency.

1:08:21For every one unit of energy going in it

1:08:23has it you deliver six to eight energy

1:08:26uh, units to the building.

1:08:29Uh, so and whereas uh, it is a fifth

1:08:32generation system. Steam as lovely as it

1:08:35is it it is when produced with

1:08:37renewables is fit first generation

1:08:40uh, thermal net thermal networks or

1:08:42district energy systems and they

1:08:45uh, it's like

1:08:47uh, what what COP are you getting? What

1:08:49efficiency level?

1:08:51Three?

1:08:52>> So, our heat pump runs in the high twos

1:08:54if you look at the heat pump in

1:08:55isolation. Uh, we built the heat pump to

1:08:57compete in the wintertime against air

1:08:58source heat pumps.

1:09:00So, we will actually be at a higher

1:09:01efficiency than building side air source

1:09:03heat pumps in the middle of the winter

1:09:04time.

1:09:04>> So, it's it's a third of the efficiency.

1:09:07And so, I just want to make sure that

1:09:09everybody understands if Cambridge is

1:09:11going to aim for something, it should

1:09:12aim for ambient temperature thermal

1:09:14networks. They are the highest

1:09:16efficiency. They will help deliver the

1:09:18lowest energy bills and move us forward

1:09:21fastest to what we need. Thank you.

1:09:23Sorry.

1:09:24>> Great. Thanks. Anushka, did you want to

1:09:26And then I think there's a couple of

1:09:28other people just signed up for public

1:09:29comment.

1:09:31>> We have three people signed up.

1:09:33Um if you could just say your name for

1:09:35the record, please.

1:09:38You just have to turn the microphone on.

1:09:41>> There we go.

1:09:42All right.

1:09:42>> And you can bring it forward. The

1:09:44microphone.

1:09:46>> There?

1:09:46>> Yep.

1:09:47>> All right. Wonderful. Um technical

1:09:49difficulties aside, um I'm Anushka. I am

1:09:52the president of GeoMIT, which is a

1:09:54student group focused on responsible

1:09:56community-driven building

1:09:57decarbonization through shallow

1:09:59geothermal. Uh we've been working with

1:10:01the governments of Ashfield and Salem to

1:10:03conduct initial feasibility studies.

1:10:04We've worked with Vermont Community

1:10:06Thermal Networks and won several

1:10:07competitions for our district energy

1:10:09design and analysis. And I wanted to

1:10:11quickly address the uh go back to the

1:10:14initial study and ask a couple

1:10:15questions. I think points of which that

1:10:18he has addressed already. One, the

1:10:19inclusion of MIT and Harvard and large

1:10:22building owners um with MIT and Harvard

1:10:25encompassing between both of them almost

1:10:27a third of Cambridge's emissions. Um an

1:10:29exclusion would be strange. Um

1:10:31additionally, the consideration of

1:10:33alternative thermal sources, especially

1:10:35um industrial waste heat from labs as

1:10:38well as waste water heat. So, GeoMIT,

1:10:41for example, has a project considering

1:10:43the potential of using municipal water

1:10:45as a thermal resource. And there are so

1:10:46many diverse thermal resources that can

1:10:48be considered, both sources and sinks,

1:10:51to help improve the efficiency of a

1:10:52thermal network. But, the most important

1:10:55thing that I really wanted to cover

1:10:56today was you know, to borrow the

1:10:58language of academia, it would be

1:11:00wonderful to have a thorough peer

1:11:01review.

1:11:02So, as part of Cambridge, a public

1:11:04government space, there there is a civic

1:11:06responsibility to have transparency to

1:11:08the constituents of Cambridge. So,

1:11:10asking the questions of what were the

1:11:11data sources behind the analysis, what

1:11:13were the critical assumptions behind the

1:11:15model, what types of drilling did you

1:11:16consider, what were the cost

1:11:18assumptions, what were the efficiency

1:11:19assumptions.

1:11:21Anything that would allow the public of

1:11:24Cambridge and Cambridge constituency to

1:11:25actually go through and systematically

1:11:27review, especially considering the

1:11:29amount of expertise that we have just

1:11:31sitting in this room right now.

1:11:32And I also wanted to touch on going

1:11:35forward,

1:11:36given the current state and given that

1:11:37there is clearly a lot more work to be

1:11:39done in this space,

1:11:40what is the role that Cambridge

1:11:42residents can play?

1:11:44So, how can we include not just these

1:11:46large institutions and projects like

1:11:48Boss 10, but how do we consider both the

1:11:51interested resident and the average

1:11:52resident so that we can make sure that

1:11:54when we decarbonize, we're doing so in a

1:11:57effective and equitable manner that

1:11:59really considers the needs of everybody

1:12:00involved.

1:12:03Thank you.

1:12:04>> Okay, and if you want to add more later,

1:12:05you can. Who else is then on the uh

1:12:08>> Our first speaker is Rupal Jain.

1:12:16>> Good afternoon. My name is Rupal Jain.

1:12:19I've been a Cambridge resident in North

1:12:22Cambridge for over 15 years. I'm also

1:12:24the mother of a CPS fourth-grader, and

1:12:27I'm speaking this afternoon on behalf of

1:12:30the Cambridge chapter of Mothers Out

1:12:31Front.

1:12:33We are proud of our city for adopting

1:12:35the Buddha ordinance and the specialized

1:12:37stretch code, and for participating in

1:12:39the fossil fuel-free pilot project. All

1:12:42measures that will help to reduce

1:12:44greenhouse gas emissions.

1:12:46We want to thank the City Council for

1:12:48their foresight in funding the

1:12:49geothermal network pilot study.

1:12:52We also thank the city staff and Salas

1:12:54O'Brien for their careful work.

1:12:57With the pace of climate change

1:12:58accelerating, it's critical to look at

1:13:00approaches for moving whole

1:13:01neighborhoods off fossil fuels.

1:13:04Cambridge has made a strong start on

1:13:06adopting geothermal heating systems for

1:13:08our new schools

1:13:10and renovated municipal buildings.

1:13:12We're encouraged that the city is

1:13:14looking forward to opportunities that

1:13:16could support municipal thermal networks

1:13:18centered on additional schools, CHA

1:13:21properties, and around parks.

1:13:24Since the Pacific Park pilot showed

1:13:26challenges with the cost of drilling

1:13:27boreholes, let's explore other heat

1:13:30sources like city sewers, commercial

1:13:33waste heat, and the Charles River.

1:13:36Health Peaks' planned 42-acre

1:13:38development at Alewife should be able to

1:13:40be served by a geothermal network where

1:13:43new building construction substantially

1:13:45lowers costs.

1:13:47Because thermal networks require much

1:13:50less electricity than other clean heat

1:13:52sources, the Health Peaks complex could

1:13:55avoid overloading the existing electric

1:13:58substation.

1:14:00Regardless of the green technologies we

1:14:02adopt, Cambridge needs to begin

1:14:04collaborative long-term planning with

1:14:06Eversource. We urge the city to seek the

1:14:09planning and mapping tools Eversource

1:14:11can provide and use them to work with

1:14:14the Eversource

1:14:16with Eversource to plan and carry out

1:14:18the gradual decommissioning of existing

1:14:20gas infrastructure

1:14:22alongside the build-out of electric

1:14:24infrastructure we will need to achieve

1:14:27net zero by 2050. Thank you.

1:14:34>> Our next speaker is Elena Fagotto.

1:14:42Elena, you're not speaking?

1:14:45Okay. Anyone else? Our final speaker is

1:14:47Susan Marcott.

1:14:50>> Is she online?

1:14:54Oh, right.

1:14:56>> That is all who signed up.

1:15:03>> Okay, I am

1:15:07Okay.

1:15:09I didn't I don't see her. Did you have

1:15:10her comments by any chance?

1:15:19Okay, I I don't see them. I I would

1:15:21honor that to read them into the record,

1:15:23but I don't see them. So, we'll make

1:15:24sure we we we get them. Um

1:15:28Okay.

1:15:30So, here's here's what comes next

1:15:32is

1:15:34the part where we all get to talk with

1:15:36each other and this well, it is a formal

1:15:38committee hearing. I also think it's

1:15:40really important we treat all of us as

1:15:42participants. So, I will recognize

1:15:45anybody I I'll start with my colleagues

1:15:47if they have questions, but feel free to

1:15:49ask questions of anybody at the table

1:15:51and to go back and forth including if

1:15:54vicinity is a question for a Black Swan

1:15:55or something like that. Did you have a

1:15:57question around that

1:15:58>> So, I I just had a statement in the in

1:15:59the in the theme of of working together

1:16:02and and trying to move things forward.

1:16:04Uh

1:16:05I think it's enormously interesting

1:16:06performing these kind of studies and

1:16:08we're happy or uh

1:16:09happy to be part of the membership in

1:16:11GRC and participate in this Boston

1:16:12study. Very excited about it.

1:16:14One of the things that

1:16:16that we've tried to be very particular

1:16:18about as we are rolling out solutions is

1:16:20the affordability side. Especially in

1:16:22today's environment where energy is

1:16:23becoming enormously expensive and one of

1:16:25the reasons why what what we are are

1:16:29are pushing out works is because the

1:16:31affordability angle to it. And I think

1:16:33it's important to keep that in the

1:16:34context of

1:16:36efficiency is important, but at the end

1:16:37of the day it's not about efficiency,

1:16:39it's about affordability. There's a

1:16:40reason why we don't drive cars with fuel

1:16:42cells. Fuel cells are, you know, more

1:16:44than double the efficiency of internal

1:16:46combustion engines, but none of us have

1:16:47cars with fuel cells because they're too

1:16:48expensive.

1:16:49So, it's just something to keep in mind.

1:16:51I think it's a very important to try to

1:16:53chase and secure more efficient

1:16:55uh

1:16:56solutions, but at the end of the day, we

1:16:58want to arrive at a solution that is

1:16:59affordable because affordable drives the

1:17:00rate of adoption, and we all understand

1:17:02that this is something that we need to

1:17:03have moving today.

1:17:07>> Thanks. I agree with that. I just I do

1:17:10would make a plea for fully loaded

1:17:11costs, which includes health costs,

1:17:13health care, you know, of and

1:17:15opportunity cost of not doing something.

1:17:17So, but totally agree, if it's not

1:17:18affordable, it's not going to happen.

1:17:20Audrey, did you want to and then let me

1:17:21start with my colleagues and then I'll

1:17:22come to you, Audrey. So,

1:17:24uh

1:17:25Councilor Azubike.

1:17:26>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh just curious to

1:17:29hear a little bit more if anybody can

1:17:30speak to it on where Eversource has been

1:17:33in this conversation. I saw on the

1:17:35presentation slide that they are doing

1:17:38work in Framingham, and I'm curious like

1:17:41are have we been in touch and

1:17:42communication around what they're

1:17:44thinking long-term for this and what

1:17:46role they would play. Um curious to hear

1:17:48that, and then have another comment on

1:17:51the boreholes.

1:17:56>> Thank you.

1:17:57So, um the uh Eversource team has been

1:18:01engaged with the city of uh city of

1:18:02Cambridge. Uh we attended the technical

1:18:05presentations a couple of weeks ago, I

1:18:08believe. Provided some comments and

1:18:09discussion, and of course, we're always

1:18:12happy to cooperate, um review the study

1:18:15in more detail, uh offer any comments,

1:18:18and uh the whole purpose of the

1:18:20Framingham pilot was of course to bring

1:18:22forth lessons learned and share them

1:18:24with uh all communities that are

1:18:26interested in you know, whether

1:18:28nationally and beyond, um

1:18:30to promote uh

1:18:32network geothermal uh projects. And so,

1:18:36uh we'd be happy to continue to

1:18:38cooperate and share those lessons

1:18:40learned.

1:18:41>> Thank you.

1:18:42>> Before Counselor Sbrega, do you know

1:18:43what the Framingham pilot consists of?

1:18:44Cuz if not, Liam could just

1:18:46>> I'm happy to give an introduction.

1:18:47>> Yeah, I think it'd be great to hear

1:18:48that. And also, I would under I don't

1:18:51know about much about the Eversource

1:18:52pilot program in Framingham. So, I'd be

1:18:54curious to hear like how much of that

1:18:55was funded by Eversource versus

1:18:57Framingham. So, I'd be curious to hear

1:18:59like what role Eversource could play

1:19:01with us um in making this happen, too.

1:19:04>> Yeah, that's a great question. So, I can

1:19:05give a quick overview of the Framingham

1:19:07project. So, uh the project is a

1:19:10uh network geothermal project. We

1:19:12provide uh heating and cooling to around

1:19:16135 customers

1:19:19uh in one neighborhood in Framingham.

1:19:21This includes a variety of customers

1:19:23with different loads. So, it includes

1:19:25commercial customers, a Framingham

1:19:27public school building, a fire station,

1:19:30a couple of smaller commercial

1:19:32uh customers um as well as uh

1:19:36uh housing authority, the Framingham

1:19:37Housing Authority. We have around nine

1:19:39buildings plus a community center, nine

1:19:41residential buildings and a community

1:19:42center on our loop. And uh additionally,

1:19:45we have around 23 residential customers

1:19:48that are served. Overall, we have 88

1:19:51boreholes. We have three borefields uh

1:19:53combining both directional and

1:19:56traditional drilling technologies.

1:19:59Um

1:20:00and um so far, we've been in operate the

1:20:04system was commissioned in December

1:20:052024.

1:20:07Um since then, we've, you know, been in

1:20:09uh operations and maintenance. We have

1:20:11some additional customers join in later

1:20:14uh just due to staggering construction.

1:20:17But, the system has been operating quite

1:20:19well. Um even this past winter, it was a

1:20:22record-breaking winter, and we were all,

1:20:24you know, excited to see how the system

1:20:25performs. But, uh it operated quite

1:20:27well. We have a um backup boiler we

1:20:30haven't had to turn on because the loop

1:20:32temp loop temperature was within the

1:20:34design boundaries. Um

1:20:36and um you know, we're excited to see

1:20:38how how how much the system continues to

1:20:41perform. It's been quite resilient, I

1:20:43will say as I mentioned, and um

1:20:46um overall, I think right now we're

1:20:48moving more towards optimizing the

1:20:51system in terms of

1:20:53uh pump operations, system logic, things

1:20:57like that uh overall. In terms of cost,

1:21:00uh the project is ratepayer funded, so

1:21:03Eversource recovers the cost through a

1:21:05geothermal energy provision filing with

1:21:07the DPU.

1:21:09Um

1:21:10we file for that annually, basically.

1:21:14>> Okay.

1:21:16>> Oh, yeah, go ahead.

1:21:17>> Yeah, if I may add um

1:21:20Heat, [clears throat] Eversource, and

1:21:21the city of Framingham are also jointly

1:21:23working on an expansion to the system

1:21:26that is funded through a a federal DOE

1:21:28grant. So, that is ongoing work separate

1:21:31from the initial pilot, but that has

1:21:33been moving along for the past year and

1:21:36a half at this point.

1:21:37>> Got you. You said that was a DOE grant?

1:21:39>> Yeah, it was a Department of Energy um

1:21:42GTO office's grant, and initially it was

1:21:45for design of an expansion, and then it

1:21:48moved to phase two. Uh it was

1:21:50down-selected for construction funding,

1:21:52as well. So, that is ongoing work to

1:21:54approximately double the size of the

1:21:56existing network.

1:21:58>> Got you. Um I'll be very quick in the

1:22:00second part. I definitely am still

1:22:02trying to digest

1:22:03all of the comments and presentations.

1:22:06Um I noticed that on this on on the

1:22:08slide that has the the map of the United

1:22:10States and just kind of where different

1:22:12cities are with the study design and

1:22:14operation, I had looked up each one, and

1:22:16it seems like boreholes

1:22:18were the ones that consistently were

1:22:21used. Although, it's interesting to see

1:22:24there were like a few scenarios where an

1:22:26aquifer open loop system was used. Uh Um

1:22:30I'd be curious like to to learn a little

1:22:32bit more about those, especially if we

1:22:34know that the cost of doing bore holes

1:22:37um would be really expensive, and how we

1:22:40can leverage like we've heard others say

1:22:43um some of the sources that we already

1:22:44have in the city all yield.

1:22:48>> Um I was just going to say that that's

1:22:49the map of um from the consultants. I

1:22:51don't know if somebody from Salas

1:22:53O'Brien can respond to that.

1:22:55Or Arena.

1:22:57>> I might call on Lindsay.

1:23:02Or Brian Erlob from the Salas team.

1:23:05>> If Brian, you could take this one.

1:23:08>> Yeah, I'm sorry. Could Could you repeat

1:23:10that question? I apologize.

1:23:12>> No worries. It wasn't really a question.

1:23:14I was just fascinated by the the map,

1:23:16and I I noticed looking them up is a lot

1:23:18of them have are using bore holes,

1:23:21although there are some cases like the

1:23:22waterfront gateway that's using an open

1:23:24loop system with an aquifer, and then

1:23:27the one in Staten Island seems a bit

1:23:29different as well.

1:23:31Um is that like

1:23:33Do you have an explanation behind that

1:23:35trend? Like if there's a question I were

1:23:36to ask, I guess understanding that trend

1:23:38would be helpful.

1:23:39>> Yeah, I mean um

1:23:41with with a related geothermal uh

1:23:43systems or or geo exchange systems,

1:23:45they're very site specific to the

1:23:47subsurface conditions.

1:23:49And so uh if you're sitting on top of a

1:23:52really high productive aquifer that's

1:23:54relatively shallow, that's a lower cost

1:23:56of construction, so we would look at

1:23:59that as a potential option. Uh granted,

1:24:01if it's if it's allowed by code, state

1:24:04code.

1:24:05Um so the Northwest Natural project is

1:24:07sitting on a fantastic aquifer, and so

1:24:09if you can reduce uh operating and and

1:24:12I'm sorry, and construction costs, you

1:24:14know, that's something that we certainly

1:24:15analyze anytime we look at these

1:24:17projects. So we're always trying to

1:24:19really optimize costs

1:24:22uh and capital expenditures versus um

1:24:25you know, operating costs and and so

1:24:26forth. So, some of these projects have

1:24:28traditional boreholes, some of them have

1:24:30open-loop systems.

1:24:32Um some of them uh like the Haverstraw

1:24:34project in New York is is also combined

1:24:36with a sewage heat recovery system. So,

1:24:39again, it's really trying to look for

1:24:41the most uh

1:24:43or or the lowest cost thermal assets,

1:24:45try to deploy those within the project

1:24:47uh because that would bring the entire

1:24:48cost down. And um you know, then

1:24:51obviously make it more affordable for

1:24:53you know, people using the energy.

1:24:57>> Thank you, O'Leary.

1:24:58Before I go to Council Zuzie, uh Audrey,

1:25:00you said you wanted to add to this?

1:25:02>> Yeah, simply that uh the the lowest cost

1:25:05is you know, in almost all places when

1:25:07it's available is not boreholes.

1:25:10Boreholes are you know, incredible.

1:25:13Uh and uh our most you know, the ground

1:25:16is everywhere.

1:25:17Uh assuming you've got a good uh you

1:25:19know,

1:25:21uh access to bedrock, it's a really

1:25:22great way to go.

1:25:24And

1:25:25you always look for lower cost first

1:25:27options. Right now, there is a state,

1:25:30you know, DEP grant to do wastewater

1:25:33energy recovery, and I will add that in

1:25:36New York, the two thermal networks that

1:25:38are moving forward are both wastewater

1:25:41energy recovery systems because they

1:25:43cost less.

1:25:45Um that is a common observation.

1:25:49So, and can I add just one thing going

1:25:51back to

1:25:52uh Kevin's point?

1:25:54Is that okay? Um the energy bill

1:25:57affordability is of course incredibly

1:25:59important. Um I would say that, you

1:26:01know, and I'm sure uh Vicinity is doing

1:26:03an incredible job. I would never

1:26:05question that. I know that Vicinity is

1:26:07is not regulated in that its previous

1:26:10owner, the uh Veolia, had some

1:26:13difficulties with the customers where

1:26:14the the were going very high in weird

1:26:17ways. And I'm I'm sure Vicinity is not

1:26:19doing the same, but it can't If it's

1:26:21non-regulated

1:26:23or if there is a the entity is not, you

1:26:27know, it doesn't have a good contract,

1:26:29you know, bargain potentially by the

1:26:31public entity that that, you know, by

1:26:34the city,

1:26:35then we might be able to have energy

1:26:38bill problems far into the future,

1:26:40right? The city has power. If you're

1:26:42going to let anybody use your public

1:26:44right-of-ways, do the bargaining to make

1:26:46sure your residents get really good

1:26:49uh energy affordability far into the

1:26:51future, for decades into the future, cuz

1:26:53you can with this method.

1:26:57>> Did you want to respond to before I go

1:26:58to Councilor Zezima or

1:27:00>> So, I I would just like to make a

1:27:01comment on the waste heat.

1:27:02>> Uh-huh.

1:27:03>> [clears throat]

1:27:03>> So, uh

1:27:04one of the things that we've been

1:27:05working on not in Boston and Cambridge,

1:27:06but in Kansas City. So, we are a private

1:27:09utility, but one of the real benefits of

1:27:10private utilities is we go fast.

1:27:12So, in something that we can decide in a

1:27:14boardroom in an afternoon might take a

1:27:16regulated utility a couple years.

1:27:18And we have partnerships with regulated

1:27:19utilities because they oftentimes will

1:27:21spend more more dollars on a study uh

1:27:23than we will on just the preliminary

1:27:25engineering for something. So, being a

1:27:26part of a private utility allows us to

1:27:29go very quickly, which we're showing off

1:27:31in Boston and Cambridge with this

1:27:32decarbonization plan, but also when you

1:27:34want to talk waste heat, uh we recently

1:27:36uh executed two separate deals with edge

1:27:38data centers in Kansas City. And one of

1:27:40the things that we are seeing as an

1:27:41enormous waste heat source are edge data

1:27:44centers. As you get into technologies

1:27:46like autonomous driving cars, we're

1:27:48starting to see smaller data centers.

1:27:49They're quite large, 10-20. The one in

1:27:51Kansas City's 25 MW

1:27:53that we have connected onto our chilled

1:27:54water system that's bringing the heat

1:27:56back to the plant. We are then going to

1:27:57use that heat to help heat the city of

1:27:59of uh Kansas City. So, we're looking to

1:28:01do the same thing here in Boston and

1:28:03Cambridge, and us being a private

1:28:04utility allows us to get into those

1:28:06agreements quick with those kind of edge

1:28:07data centers. But, when we're looking at

1:28:09heat, I 100% agree that oftentimes waste

1:28:12heat is more economic and these edge

1:28:14data centers, if you put 20 MW into a

1:28:16data center, you get 20 MW of waste heat

1:28:18out.

1:28:20>> I don't think anyone would say we

1:28:23sometimes over regulate, but there's a

1:28:25reason that regulations come in and so

1:28:27it's really figuring that out. The city

1:28:29is in the middle of trying to figure out

1:28:30how do we accelerate many, many things

1:28:32by not taking away regulation cuz we

1:28:35know we need them and yet you're right

1:28:36that there is

1:28:38boy, when you go to National League of

1:28:39Cities and you hear how fast other

1:28:40people go, it's a little embarrassing to

1:28:42be from Massachusetts. Eric, did you

1:28:44want and then we'll get to Counselor

1:28:45Zuzie.

1:28:45>> If I may just continue on the point, um

1:28:48waste heat in any form or using our

1:28:50waterways or using an aquifer are all

1:28:53great ways to recover and leverage the

1:28:56heat that's already in our systems. The

1:28:59key is you have to have a way to move

1:29:01and use that heat. If you don't have the

1:29:03highway, if you don't have the thermal

1:29:05network,

1:29:06there's nowhere for it to go and it ends

1:29:08up going up into the air at a much

1:29:10higher cost. So, I just wanted to close

1:29:11on that point that you need some form of

1:29:14a network regardless of what it is.

1:29:15There needs to be a way to move that

1:29:17heat throughout the community.

1:29:19>> Right. My favorite is there's a building

1:29:21in New York that just like a cross from

1:29:23a post office and they just share

1:29:25energy. It's unbelievable how effective

1:29:26it is. Counselor Zuzie.

1:29:28>> Um thank you thank you, Counselor Nolan

1:29:31and what an amazing

1:29:33gathering of minds. Um I wanted I just

1:29:36wanted to make a comment at first which

1:29:38is uh it seems to me

1:29:41uh unfortunate that heat wasn't brought

1:29:43in at at the beginning as the city was

1:29:47considering

1:29:48um exploring thermal energy networks. I

1:29:51feel like the assumptions that the setup

1:29:53of the study would have been more

1:29:55productive had heat

1:29:59>> What?

1:30:00>> Black Swan Labs.

1:30:01>> Black Black Swan Labs. Yeah, I um they

1:30:04should they should have been part of the

1:30:08as you were

1:30:09defining the study, they should have

1:30:10been there. It would have been a more

1:30:12effective study if they had been

1:30:14engaged. So, let's learn from that

1:30:16experience and be more inclusive going

1:30:19forward.

1:30:20Um, and not intimidated by other

1:30:23bringing in other expertise. I wanted to

1:30:25ask again looking at the city study and

1:30:29then like going back to Framingham. I

1:30:30don't know what the Framingham project

1:30:33cost. It would be good to know what that

1:30:35cost was. I mean, we're thinking that if

1:30:37we developed at Pacific Street Park, it

1:30:40could cost between what? Between 50 and

1:30:4370 million dollars. So, what would the

1:30:46Framingham project cost and who funded

1:30:48it?

1:30:49>> So, uh, currently as I mentioned, uh,

1:30:52per our latest geothermal energy

1:30:54provision filing, I believe we're on,

1:30:57um,

1:30:58spending current has been around 28

1:31:00million dollars overall and the overall

1:31:02estimate for the project is roughly

1:31:04around 30 million dollars.

1:31:0728 incurred so far and the total cost is

1:31:10around 30 million.

1:31:12>> In what year?

1:31:14>> What year? Oh, this is overall.

1:31:16Over total project cost.

1:31:18>> Yeah, and so why is our project so much

1:31:21more expensive and then just to add on

1:31:23to that question

1:31:25is MIT supportive of the Pacific Street

1:31:28Park project and who who would take the

1:31:30lead with that? Who would pay for that

1:31:32project?

1:31:33>> Can maybe I can just add a little bit.

1:31:35Um, and I think so also Brian can um,

1:31:38weigh in our arena on the cost. I think

1:31:41we really looked at this as a

1:31:42feasibility study and so I do want to

1:31:44just take a little bit of a back up in

1:31:45terms of um, making sure we're clear

1:31:48that, you know, this really came out um,

1:31:51the push for this was immediately after

1:31:52the Framingham pilot came out and you

1:31:55know, we had wanted to participate in

1:31:57the Eversource pilot um, and we're not

1:32:00chosen. I think probably for some of the

1:32:01complexities and um and challenges of

1:32:04the the city of Cambridge. And so, that

1:32:06was sort of the genesis of the study.

1:32:08And so, I totally take the feedback

1:32:11about there were different ways to look

1:32:12at it and different things that should

1:32:14be considered. And so, um to counselor

1:32:16Nolan's point, like the push and pull is

1:32:18super helpful and and actually really

1:32:20appreciated. Um

1:32:22But the the sort of the premise of the

1:32:23study was really to sort of say, "Okay,

1:32:26is a model that's sort of like

1:32:27Framingham repeatable in the city of

1:32:29Cambridge?" And what would that look

1:32:31like? Um and so, that was the premise of

1:32:34the study. And um the the

1:32:38um the so the feasibility was really a

1:32:42very high-level feasibility. This is not

1:32:44a a we have a design, let's go

1:32:46implement. It's to sort of say, "What

1:32:48would it take to be the for this to be

1:32:49feasible at a neighborhood level, but

1:32:52that's sort of repeatable that you could

1:32:53do a multiple levels?" And I think, you

1:32:55know, at a high level, one of the

1:32:56significant challenges is that, you

1:32:58know, Framingham that was done by

1:33:01Eversource, owned by the utility that is

1:33:04being built by the utility and paid by

1:33:06the ratepayers.

1:33:08And it's also that there is more of a

1:33:10direct connection of some of the cost

1:33:13stuff, like, "Oh, you could avoid the

1:33:14cost of a a future substation," which is

1:33:17really significant, right? Like that is

1:33:19one of where the really beneficial cost

1:33:21come from. And that is much more clear

1:33:24if it's Eversource sort of owning the G,

1:33:26you know, the 10 network and avoiding

1:33:28the future um substation work. And so,

1:33:32it's super hard to sort of parse these

1:33:34out as a "Oh, here's a Cambridge project

1:33:36that we should do" in terms of us owning

1:33:39and operating um electric utility or you

1:33:42know, a um

1:33:44thermal energy utility and sort of how

1:33:46that would play out. And so, I think

1:33:48that is where the Framingham model is

1:33:49super helpful in terms of Eversource.

1:33:52And again, Eversource, you know, has

1:33:53both the gas and the electricity side.

1:33:55And so, if they're moving companies from

1:33:57one, you know, customers from one side

1:33:59to the other, they're also capturing

1:34:01those customer base. So, they're not

1:34:02competing with each other in the same

1:34:04way. But, but I did just want to make

1:34:06really clear that this is not sort of a

1:34:07like, "Oh, here's what you know, a

1:34:09detailed design that they would move

1:34:11forward." It's really what are the

1:34:12conditions that would make this sort of

1:34:14repeatable at scale in a neighborhood.

1:34:17Um and I think it's shown that there's

1:34:18some real challenges with that, and

1:34:20there's some real benefits in terms of

1:34:22Eversource sort of being the lead owner

1:34:24and operator of such systems that we are

1:34:26really dedicated to trying to figure out

1:34:28how to proceed with. And I also just

1:34:30want to really emphasize I really

1:34:31appreciate, you know, pulling in the

1:34:33Boston conversation cuz that is also one

1:34:35that we are super excited to be a part

1:34:37of, and I really think, you know, really

1:34:40believe that

1:34:41broader collaboration on all of these

1:34:43issues, right? Like we've talked about

1:34:44it with the coastal resiliency for

1:34:46years.

1:34:47Um but similarly with the, you know, the

1:34:49Boston Green Ribbon Commission, it's

1:34:51super helpful to have this more regional

1:34:53larger scale. Um and so we're super

1:34:55excited to be participants in that

1:34:57process as well.

1:35:00>> Um and I and I'll just say

1:35:02Lean, did you want to Yeah, did you have

1:35:04your hand up?

1:35:05>> Yeah, I just wanted to add just to add

1:35:07to that. I think in addition, um one of

1:35:09the main, you know, advantages of of

1:35:12being in a utility is a lot of

1:35:13transferable workforce or transferable

1:35:16learnings. And um I think having that

1:35:18expertise within the utility has really

1:35:20helped uh push the project

1:35:23uh forward. Um on the cost uh argument

1:35:26or the cost discussion, I'd like to just

1:35:28also um

1:35:30point out as as Eric had mentioned, the

1:35:32expansion is doubling the capacity, but

1:35:34at half the cost. So, this is uh a great

1:35:38I think what did we expect to be half

1:35:40the cost? So, this is a great um I guess

1:35:43lesson learned in the expandability of

1:35:45of geothermal systems, and

1:35:47um the improved efficiency once uh uh

1:35:50the system is uh

1:35:52is constructed and you start to build on

1:35:54that network and the network benefits as

1:35:56the network grows. Just wanted to flag

1:35:58that as well.

1:36:00>> Okay, if if it wasn't clear by the way,

1:36:02if anyone at the table wants to add,

1:36:04just like put your hand up or something

1:36:05and I'll try to scan and make sure that

1:36:07you're included. So, Arena and then

1:36:09Audrey and then Kathy.

1:36:10>> Thank you. I know it's harder to have

1:36:12the folks that are online raise their

1:36:13hands, but I think Rob McKenna, if

1:36:15you're on and can talk a little bit more

1:36:17about how the city's study evaluated the

1:36:20costs.

1:36:21>> And can I just confirm at some point all

1:36:23those assumptions will be made public,

1:36:25correct?

1:36:25>> Yeah, we have a we have the reports to

1:36:27share out and maybe you had also asked

1:36:29about the, you know, participation of

1:36:31MIT and I think MIT was interested in

1:36:33having us look into this building in

1:36:35part because the building itself is not

1:36:36part of the of the central utility plant

1:36:40for the campus. So, we were able to, you

1:36:41know, provide data through this cost

1:36:44estimation of what it would take to

1:36:45convert this building that we are able

1:36:47to share with MIT.

1:36:50>> Rob?

1:36:51>> Rob, did you want to

1:36:53>> Thank you. Thank you. Yes, I'll I'll

1:36:55attempt to Can Can you all hear me?

1:36:59>> Yes. Yes.

1:37:00>> Great. Great. Thank you.

1:37:01>> Yes.

1:37:02>> Thank [clears throat] you. Yes, I'll

1:37:03I'll attempt to respond to to the cost

1:37:06question. So, for starters,

1:37:08um this is a conceptual

1:37:11uh

1:37:12study and so these cost estimates are

1:37:14class five estimates based on basically

1:37:18uh less than 5% design of the system and

1:37:21so there is wide range of uncertainty

1:37:24around uh these cost estimates and so

1:37:26there is a significant uh

1:37:29probability that the cost could

1:37:31potentially be less. Second factor, if

1:37:33you're comparing relative to the

1:37:35uh Framingham example, is

1:37:37[clears throat] we're now uh

1:37:39a few years beyond that cost

1:37:41escalations. There's been significant

1:37:43cost escalations in this market

1:37:45specifically

1:37:46uh that have driven costs higher and so

1:37:49the cost

1:37:50uh reference points that we utilized um

1:37:54you know, had accounted for that, which

1:37:56is a you know, fairly uh significant

1:37:58increase in in costs.

1:38:00And um

1:38:02anyway, so those are the two biggest

1:38:04drivers that we see. And let me uh point

1:38:07at uh Lindsay and Brian uh from our team

1:38:09to see if you have any other elements to

1:38:12uh

1:38:12uh to add to that. Brian, I know where

1:38:14uh you had a couple of other points

1:38:16potentially to add.

1:38:18>> Yeah, I mean it I mean I mean obviously,

1:38:20like you said, this is a class five

1:38:22estimate. We looked at the number of

1:38:23other projects that we've been involved

1:38:25with around the country.

1:38:27Uh compared that uh to the cost that we

1:38:30were estimating. Obviously, there's a

1:38:31tremendous amount of contingency in the

1:38:33cost because you don't really know until

1:38:36you get into the design exactly

1:38:38what the design elements are and how

1:38:39that impacts costs. So,

1:38:41um

1:38:42but we did try to use as much as we

1:38:45could from other projects and and also

1:38:47talking with the cost estimator that has

1:38:49regional costs.

1:38:51So, you know, uh yeah, if you look at

1:38:53the the low end of our cost estimate,

1:38:56it's about not quite double what

1:38:58Framingham is.

1:39:00But again, uh not knowing exactly how we

1:39:03are going to treat each building and

1:39:05these buildings are a little more

1:39:06complicated, especially the commercial

1:39:08buildings, so there's going to be a

1:39:09little higher cost there.

1:39:11Uh Cambridge streets are more confined

1:39:13and more dense, so there's more than

1:39:15likely going to be higher cost there. Um

1:39:18and so, you know, when we looked at all

1:39:20of that and we adjusted our costs

1:39:21accordingly and then added the

1:39:22contingencies, that's kind of where the

1:39:24pricing fell. But I think the costs are

1:39:26all relatively defensible, but if you

1:39:28got into it more detailed, certainly you

1:39:31could make adjustments to those costs to

1:39:32get it uh

1:39:34to get that cost down, but you don't

1:39:36really know that until you have a design

1:39:37until you actually

1:39:39uh get into the the the process and then

1:39:41get more refined cost estimate itself.

1:39:44That's kind of where we were at with it.

1:39:46I mean, we've done a number of these

1:39:48projects and and also a lot of

1:39:50geothermal around the nation. And so

1:39:52we've pulled from a pretty large data

1:39:54bank of of costs that we know of and

1:39:56then of course again like I said we've

1:39:58applied

1:39:59a lot of contingencies and

1:40:02um escalation to that.

1:40:04>> Great. Thank you.

1:40:06Is it has a I just wanted to did you

1:40:09I just want to actually get around but

1:40:10we're we also we are supposed to end at

1:40:121:30 and I do have a few questions. So

1:40:14>> Of course. I just wanted to ask so it

1:40:16for the Pacific Street site is there is

1:40:19there a possible party that is

1:40:22interested in taking

1:40:24the lead. I'm just trying to think about

1:40:25the viability of the Pacific Street site

1:40:27since that was selected as

1:40:29possibly the most likely.

1:40:31>> Well, I'll go to Audrey and then I think

1:40:32that the key is is that we would have to

1:40:34go to the next step and say okay, what's

1:40:35next steps for the for the city and for

1:40:37this whole idea. Audrey, did you want to

1:40:40>> Yeah, I would just suggest that there's

1:40:42a lot of

1:40:43frustrated investment money now that was

1:40:45going to go into solar or wind

1:40:48that is currently looking at thermal

1:40:50networks and I would remind everybody to

1:40:52call it thermal networks rather than

1:40:53geothermal because we've already

1:40:55established that geothermal is the most

1:40:56expensive way and that might not be the

1:40:58way we want to go forward if it is

1:41:00possible in the local area. Secondly,

1:41:04the first computer um cost I think

1:41:08$55,000 personal computer cost $55,000

1:41:12not adjusted for inflation. Nobody

1:41:15resents that as a first cost because the

1:41:17cost came down a lot since then, right?

1:41:20So this is something that probably will

1:41:21be more expensive in the beginning and

1:41:23go down over time.

1:41:25Third, um

1:41:27I'm going to be having a series of

1:41:28papers

1:41:29out about both how to reduce the cost of

1:41:32thermal networks as well as how to

1:41:35compare costs across different systems.

1:41:39I suggest you look for them. The first

1:41:40one should be out in about 2 weeks. On

1:41:42my website. Thank you. Black Swan Lab,

1:41:44not Heat.

1:41:45>> Great. And also, just to remind us,

1:41:46direct energy, like all the federal

1:41:48subsidies have gone away, but direct

1:41:49energy still, I believe, pays for uh

1:41:52thermal energy networks, whereas they

1:41:53took away solar. So, it's still

1:41:54possible. If if you don't know that, I

1:41:56mean, that's as we know, the federal

1:41:57funding is not there, and yet I don't

1:41:59know if Vicinity is part of it, but

1:42:01definitely thermal energy networks are

1:42:03still on a possible federal uh

1:42:07tax break, so.

1:42:08Um so, I have a couple questions, or was

1:42:11there a couple more? Did you want to

1:42:13say anything, or and then Eric? No,

1:42:15you're okay. Or

1:42:17I can't tell.

1:42:18Okay, Eric.

1:42:19>> I I I was just going to add the the

1:42:20federal ITC is available, as well as

1:42:23potential state credits. Um you know,

1:42:25things like

1:42:27Mass Save. And so,

1:42:29taking initial construction costs into

1:42:31account is great, but understanding the

1:42:34benefits side and the potential tax

1:42:35incentives, as well, is really

1:42:37important. People see that sticker

1:42:39number of, say, 50 million, and they

1:42:41don't realize there's potentially a 30%

1:42:43tax credit that could be applied to

1:42:45that. With the caveat that there are

1:42:47some requirements to get that, and I

1:42:49believe they start sunsetting in 2032.

1:42:52So, if you don't move quick,

1:42:54you know,

1:42:55they they may not be there.

1:42:57>> Okay, so Eversource, get on it, okay.

1:42:59>> [laughter]

1:43:00>> So,

1:43:00if Did you want to I have a couple

1:43:02questions. Should I go to them?

1:43:03>> I was just going to say, Patty, would it

1:43:04be helpful? I don't know if Eversource

1:43:07has any comments about and looking at

1:43:08beyond expanding in Framingham, sort of

1:43:12next steps in terms of

1:43:14your program?

1:43:15>> Yeah, so we currently have a new

1:43:18construction filing with the DPU, and

1:43:20the purpose of that filing is to

1:43:23proceed with new project for new

1:43:25targeting new construction.

1:43:27The logic behind that is that building

1:43:29retrofits are the largest

1:43:31cost chunk essentially from the pilot.

1:43:34Behind the meter work was quite

1:43:36expensive and we would constantly run

1:43:37into unforeseen circumstances that

1:43:40require remediation like mold, asbestos,

1:43:43etc. And so by addressing new

1:43:45construction, you can really find a lot

1:43:46of cost synergies, reduce restoration

1:43:49costs, permitting, etc. And and align

1:43:52with the developer on a number of ways.

1:43:53And so

1:43:55that is currently

1:43:58a way forward that the company is

1:43:59looking towards.

1:44:02>> Again, I'm

1:44:02it's every comment is making me more

1:44:04excited about possibilities. So I did

1:44:06want to I have a couple questions so

1:44:07I'll start with MIT.

1:44:09Joe, if you could explain so it's

1:44:11totally exciting about MET. Is that now

1:44:13totally fossil fuel free? You said it's

1:44:15and some of the new building is like 70%

1:44:17more efficient. But how far along the

1:44:20term you the the MET warehouse and you

1:44:23mentioned some other new building that

1:44:24is going to be 70% you know with the

1:44:26quantum computing. How close is it to

1:44:28completely emission pollution free? And

1:44:30also in your range for the um

1:44:34thermal harvesting from MIT, you

1:44:36mentioned really making use of the waste

1:44:38the waste heat. Is the nuclear power

1:44:41plant also included in that that you're

1:44:43going to be using that for something

1:44:44helpful?

1:44:45>> Sure, great great questions. Thank you.

1:44:48Madam Chair.

1:44:49So I'd say the MET warehouse

1:44:53is is fully electrified. So it it uses

1:44:56all of electricity which is offset by

1:44:58our renewable energy certificates. So

1:45:00I'd I'd say it's probably probably 98%

1:45:05um

1:45:06fossil free. It is connected to our

1:45:08central chill water plant because we can

1:45:10make chill water very very efficiently

1:45:11with large machines in our central plant

1:45:14that are run mostly on electricity but

1:45:16it's also a byproduct of steam from our

1:45:18co-gen process during the middle of the

1:45:20summer when it's most effective for the

1:45:22utility to to to run for the grid. So so

1:45:25there's there's a small component. I

1:45:27wouldn't say it's 100% but it's probably

1:45:28like 99%.

1:45:30Um and then the same would be for the

1:45:32you know, building 39 uh quantum lab is

1:45:35you know, probably in that same same

1:45:37range. So, so we're really excited with

1:45:38that. Um so, so the question about um

1:45:41waste heat. So, so, so we have a an air

1:45:44conditioning system network around the

1:45:46campus that rejects heat from all the

1:45:47laboratories and dorms and athletic

1:45:50facilities. Um we also have a loop that

1:45:52you know, sends heat around. Um so, we

1:45:55think we can get 30 to 40% source heat

1:45:58from the air conditioning system. It's

1:46:00it's waste heat that we otherwise just

1:46:01reject to the you know, through cooling

1:46:03towers um through electric heat pump

1:46:06just like we do with the met and put it

1:46:07back into heating uh the building. So,

1:46:10that's 30 to 40% and then obviously the

1:46:13next question is the next phases of that

1:46:15heat pump plant. Where are we going to

1:46:16get um you know, more waste heat. So, um

1:46:20we're already evaluating you know, our

1:46:22our nuclear reactor which runs

1:46:24intermittently. Um we have a chilled

1:46:25water line that goes right by it. We're

1:46:27going to hook right into it and reject

1:46:28the heat from the reactor into the into

1:46:31loops. Not directly from the reactor,

1:46:32it's the cooling tower for for the

1:46:33reactor.

1:46:34Um and you know, so so again, I think we

1:46:37are insanely optimistic that the boss 10

1:46:40is going to provide the next 60 to 70%

1:46:43source energy for the future phases of

1:46:46the heat pump plant. And and and I and I

1:46:48think I would um kind of go back to we

1:46:52all learned a lot over the last couple

1:46:54of years together as as you know, the

1:46:56cities, the utility companies, our

1:46:58faculty, our students, our utility

1:47:00providers, our industry partners. I

1:47:02mean, you know, we we met the scientists

1:47:05in Germany and Denmark. We met the

1:47:06ministries, you know, we talked to the

1:47:08you know, you know, governments of you

1:47:10know, the Commonwealth. And you know, I

1:47:12think technologically, I think we

1:47:13realized that we have to go big on a

1:47:15thermal energy network um citywide. And

1:47:18and again, I think that there's no

1:47:20single network solution that fits every

1:47:22application.

1:47:24Um and I think we heard today like we

1:47:25should do this, we should do that, we

1:47:26should do that. No, what we learned in

1:47:27Germany and and Denmark that hot water,

1:47:31chilled water, ambient, individual heat

1:47:33pump solutions each have their

1:47:35appropriate applications and hybrid

1:47:37solutions are possible. And we saw that

1:47:39in Europe. So, their whole philosophy is

1:47:41use the waste energy first, then go to

1:47:44the sea or the rivers, and then you do

1:47:45your peaks with natural gas or renewable

1:47:47fuels or whatever the next kind of tech

1:47:49So, so it's layers. So, I would say

1:47:52technically we've learned a lot together

1:47:54to have this conversation. I I would

1:47:56really like to

1:47:58ask the next trip over to Denmark be

1:48:02leaders from the city of Cambridge, the

1:48:05city of Boston,

1:48:07um it needs to be Eversource, it needs

1:48:09to be Engie, and and and the

1:48:11Commonwealth, you know, the energy

1:48:13secretary. And we need to meet with the

1:48:15Ministry of Energy in in in Denmark, and

1:48:18we know the ambassador, so he's willing

1:48:19to set up that meeting. And they set it

1:48:22up, the governance, the owner operator

1:48:25model. We need the owner operator model

1:48:27first, and I think we've heard that

1:48:29discussed today. Who's going to own it?

1:48:31Who's going to monetize it? Who's going

1:48:32to operate it? Who's going to recover

1:48:34the rates through it? That's something

1:48:36that

1:48:37the next delegation, and hopefully it's

1:48:39within the next year, is going to going

1:48:41to solve. And the question is is it a is

1:48:43it a public uh utility? Is it a private

1:48:45utility? Um is it um a municipal uh

1:48:49provider? There's there's a number of

1:48:50different ways we can think about who

1:48:52owns and operates it and monetizes it

1:48:54and recovers the rates. Um and the

1:48:56Boston study is going to evaluate sort

1:48:58of like kind of those four models.

1:49:00They're going to like lightly touch it,

1:49:02but I think the next contingent is to

1:49:03really go over and talk to the people

1:49:05that do it. And they do it affordably.

1:49:07And you know, and they say here's how we

1:49:09govern it, here's how we set the rates,

1:49:11here's why all the villages sign up for

1:49:13it and take the heat better than they

1:49:15could provide it for themselves. So, I I

1:49:17I would say that's sort of if something

1:49:19comes out of this discussion is the

1:49:21technologists in the room are are kind

1:49:23of there. We we need to get the policy

1:49:25governance level there to really take

1:49:27that next big step once we get the

1:49:29results back from the Boston um early

1:49:31concept evaluation.

1:49:32>> So, I I don't say it lightly cuz we have

1:49:35to build on what's already working. So,

1:49:36it's so very much in line with with what

1:49:39it is that we hope to do and I am

1:49:41ready to go as soon as possible. So, my

1:49:43next question is for Vicinity. You

1:49:45mentioned a couple times about how this

1:49:47adoption has been faster than expected.

1:49:49You know, can you just talk about the

1:49:51lessons? Is it cuz the technology

1:49:53evolved faster than you expected?

1:49:54Financing did? Demand did? The um

1:49:57avoided costs, you know, the the

1:49:59opportunity cost of not doing it? Like

1:50:00what was it? Cuz you mentioned that a

1:50:01couple times. I think it would be maybe

1:50:03the lessons learned for

1:50:05>> Sure. Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:50:08I think what ultimately drives the rate

1:50:10of adoption is the cost that you

1:50:12approach the market with. Well, actually

1:50:13let me like take a step back. Uh

1:50:16cities setting out the right regulatory

1:50:17environments which creates a market,

1:50:19which shows buildings which direction

1:50:20we're going, and shows end users which

1:50:22direction we're going, gets everybody on

1:50:24the same page, right? So, Burdo in

1:50:25Boston, Bueto here in in Cambridge. So,

1:50:28once you've got that groundwork in

1:50:29place, approaching the market with

1:50:31something that is affordable, there's a

1:50:33direct correlation between the rate of

1:50:34adoption and the affordability that you

1:50:36come in with. And one of the things

1:50:37we've been pleasantly surprised with

1:50:39that we've been able to source

1:50:40electricity less expensive than we

1:50:41anticipated that we could.

1:50:43Uh we've also been able to deliver at

1:50:45slightly higher efficiencies than we

1:50:46anticipated. Uh and I really think that

1:50:49it was the the the price that ultimately

1:50:52sets that adoption rate. And so, that's

1:50:53what's driving it. And we didn't

1:50:55anticipate moving into design on heat

1:50:57pump two uh for quite some time, but

1:50:59we've already started design on heat

1:51:00pump two because we anticipate heat pump

1:51:02one entering the market fully

1:51:03subscribed. So, that's one of the

1:51:04reasons why I keep pushing the point.

1:51:06Affordability is not just something

1:51:07that's important in today's environment,

1:51:09but affordability sets the pace at which

1:51:11you were going to be able to entice

1:51:12people onto whatever product you're

1:51:14putting out there. And I 100% agree with

1:51:16Joe. I think a big part of being able to

1:51:18do that is showing up with the right

1:51:20tool to the right job. We look at a lot

1:51:22of different district energy systems

1:51:23across the world, and one of the ones

1:51:24that we really like is Berlin. Uh Berlin

1:51:26has multiple different temperatures,

1:51:28multiple different ways that it serves

1:51:29its end users, but it's all about

1:51:31approaching that end user with the most

1:51:32affordable product, not necessarily the

1:51:34most efficient, or not necessarily Uh

1:51:37it's about getting to the most

1:51:38affordable point, and that drives the

1:51:40rate of adoption. So, I think that's the

1:51:42underlying premise that we learned is

1:51:44work over time to try to get the cost

1:51:45down, because that'll drive the rate of

1:51:47adoption for the sustainable solution.

1:51:52>> And of course, efficiency factors into

1:51:54affordability as well, because

1:51:55>> It does. Yes.

1:51:57>> Okay, my question for Eversource is a

1:52:01couple, so I'm going to and I recognize

1:52:03First of all, I really thank you for

1:52:05being here. I know that you all are

1:52:07working on a gazillion different things.

1:52:08Plus, we're all waiting for the state to

1:52:10allow you to do things that we want you

1:52:11to do. And we very much rely on both

1:52:14private utilities and our public

1:52:16utilities. So, I'll throw a couple

1:52:18questions. Um

1:52:20How are avoided costs factored into

1:52:22decisions um at at Eversource as you do

1:52:25your long-term planning? Cuz I do think

1:52:26what we have to think about, and we as a

1:52:28city have the opportunity, just like MIT

1:52:31and Vicinity, we should be thinking in

1:52:3350-year timelines, because we are going

1:52:35to be here for 50 years, which is very

1:52:36different from some models where it's

1:52:38just like a 5-year timeline. Um that's

1:52:40um I think helpful in some ways. And

1:52:42then it is kind of related to avoided

1:52:45costs, is that need for substations, you

1:52:47know, is it possible to calculate the

1:52:49savings about not needing them if it is

1:52:52that we can get more efficient uh

1:52:53delivery of systems?

1:52:55And then, the other question is, so how

1:52:57does the fact that we're a gas island

1:53:00factor into, or should it factor into,

1:53:03the way that we as a city and you as

1:53:05Eversource as our utility

1:53:07consider going forward. So, does that

1:53:09make sense? I just love to hear your

1:53:11thoughts. And again, if I'm throwing

1:53:12things at you that are unfair and you

1:53:14have to get back to me, that's an

1:53:15appropriate answer, too.

1:53:16>> Yeah, I think for a couple of items I

1:53:17might have to might have to get back to

1:53:19you. I think in terms of the

1:53:21coordination on, you know, substations

1:53:23or avoided costs, um I think the the

1:53:26team works very closely with in

1:53:28integrated energy planning team within

1:53:30within Eversource and um there's always

1:53:33that discussion of um avoided electrical

1:53:36upgrade costs. Um

1:53:39uh there that would that that does

1:53:40factor into that does factor in the

1:53:42planning. So, that's always a good um

1:53:45discussion and relationship to have

1:53:46internally within within the within the

1:53:48utility. Um

1:53:51can you repeat the second question?

1:53:52Sorry.

1:53:53>> Yeah, just it's it's um you know,

1:53:55basically all avoided costs, how would

1:53:57that factor in? Um and then the question

1:53:59of this gas island, you know, we heard

1:54:02Cambridge is a gas island.

1:54:03Um

1:54:04And also, it's it's kind of intriguing

1:54:06to me as was also pointed out,

1:54:07Eversource is both our electric supplier

1:54:09and our gas supplier. So, if that wasn't

1:54:12the case, and I know Eversource's worked

1:54:14a long time on trying to get them. My

1:54:16understanding is that they're not

1:54:17totally separate because otherwise you

1:54:19have you can't reduce gas,

1:54:22you can't electrify cuz that reduces our

1:54:24gas, but if you can see, "No, we're just

1:54:26shifting it over."

1:54:27Um so, but it it's that gas island

1:54:29thing. Like, how how insignificant is

1:54:31that as we do our planning for for

1:54:34future decarbonization?

1:54:37>> Um yeah, again, I think I might have to

1:54:40I might have to check back and get back

1:54:42to you on that. I think in terms of the

1:54:44um again, the the coordination and as

1:54:46you said, the complete separation

1:54:48between gas and electric

1:54:50with the integrated energy planning uh

1:54:53efforts, I think that really addresses a

1:54:55lot of those um

1:54:57uh maybe like historical communication

1:54:59gaps.

1:55:00Um in terms of factoring in avoided

1:55:02energy costs, um,

1:55:05or not avoided energy costs, avoided

1:55:07costs in general, um,

1:55:09within the the the planning process, um,

1:55:13in terms of with within the energy

1:55:16integrated energy planning group, there

1:55:17are

1:55:19NPA analyses there which do factor in,

1:55:22um, which do factor in avoided costs.

1:55:25Within our project or the geothermal

1:55:28program within itself, we also again

1:55:30work with the same groups to kind of

1:55:32identify what are the avoided costs, for

1:55:34example, within the city framing within

1:55:36the Framingham pilot, um, and then as I

1:55:39mentioned within the other, uh, filings

1:55:41that we're currently working on like the

1:55:42new construction filings, again, what

1:55:44are the avoided costs that could be by

1:55:47starting in a, um,

1:55:49undeveloped undeveloped area and then

1:55:51how could that could help streamline

1:55:53costs, uh, further.

1:55:57>> Great. And then I just have one broad

1:55:59question for anybody at the table. How

1:56:01do we think about

1:56:03the health costs of continuing, you

1:56:05know,

1:56:06the the one I keep coming back to and I

1:56:07know it's

1:56:08it's only indirectly related to thermal

1:56:10energy network, but if you take my

1:56:12house, which I am slowly taking

1:56:14appliances and replacing them with

1:56:16electric, but we are not all electric,

1:56:18but I know that every single study shows

1:56:20that every gas stove in the city is

1:56:22increasing the possible asthma, which we

1:56:24know vulnerable populations also have,

1:56:27you know, we know that our

1:56:28low-income population is way more prone

1:56:30to asthma because they probably also

1:56:32live near So, I think the question is

1:56:33how do we and I don't know if you see

1:56:34any or others factor in and ensure that

1:56:37as we move forward, we're also

1:56:38understanding that there's a public

1:56:40health benefit, which is also a direct

1:56:42cost savings in terms of health. If that

1:56:45makes sense, I'll just anybody, I guess

1:56:46the maybe Audrey or Eric, does anybody

1:56:48do that in their planning?

1:56:52>> I'm I'm happy to chime in first and the

1:56:54short answer is no, not to my knowledge.

1:56:57Um, there are some studies that are

1:56:58looking to quantify it, but especially

1:57:01that gap of quantifying it and then

1:57:03turning around and saying this is how

1:57:05much benefit we're going to assign to

1:57:07the project.

1:57:08That typically doesn't take place.

1:57:10And that's the case as well touching on

1:57:13the electric grid point.

1:57:15We struggle with that here, too. We have

1:57:18a quantification of what the utilities

1:57:20are projecting the grid needs to do over

1:57:22the next 10, 15, 25 years. But that

1:57:26mechanism for saying the electric sector

1:57:29modernization plans that have been filed

1:57:31by the utilities project X at a cost of

1:57:34Y, if we offset this amount of load with

1:57:37a thermal network, we should be able to

1:57:39quantify what the value of that is.

1:57:42But assigning it to the project, that's

1:57:44the real challenge. There is no

1:57:46mechanism for taking a benefit from one

1:57:48part of the grid and assigning it to a

1:57:50different utility or a different part of

1:57:52the grid. So it's something we really

1:57:53need to think about, and there's work

1:57:56actively going on looking at this. And

1:57:59you know, I'm sure in the future we can

1:58:01find a way to say we've reduced peak

1:58:03load by this amount here in Cambridge.

1:58:06That has a value, and we're going to

1:58:07offset project costs with it.

1:58:13>> Um as

1:58:15uh

1:58:16one of the people responsible as the the

1:58:17starter of the study about gas chemistry

1:58:21that was issued by Harvard University,

1:58:24it came because I was part of research

1:58:26in Aliso Aliso Canyon at the largest gas

1:58:29leak in the country, and people were

1:58:31calling me to say my kid has had a

1:58:33nosebleed for 3 days. What's in the gas?

1:58:36People were calling me to say I am I

1:58:39feel seasick. I have for 3 weeks. What's

1:58:41in that gas? And so I I think part of

1:58:45the health impacts is always critical to

1:58:48think about. And I am super happy also

1:58:51just that Boston is such a big part of

1:58:53all of this conversation because I

1:58:55helped to start that with Dennis

1:58:56Carlberg

1:58:57and I'm so grateful. And then third I

1:59:00would say one possible way forward for

1:59:03Cambridge that would be a no regrets

1:59:04solution is Providence Rhode Island is

1:59:07looking at every single school that they

1:59:10are about to retrofit and assuming that

1:59:13that becomes a clean thermal power plant

1:59:17for the neighborhood.

1:59:19Put the bore holes there in the under

1:59:21the athletic fields under the

1:59:22playgrounds etc. And pay for it with the

1:59:27revenue coming in from the neighborhood.

1:59:30That would also reduce thermal drift

1:59:32technical language.

1:59:36>> Joe and then

1:59:38>> Sure. Uh

1:59:39So um our office of of sustainability

1:59:43um worked with MIT's Institute

1:59:44researchers on just that question is

1:59:47what's the framework that assesses not

1:59:49only the avoided emissions from from

1:59:51efforts but also the economic and health

1:59:53outcomes. And as you all know

1:59:55um the city of Cambridge and 11 other

1:59:56organizations came together to create

1:59:58these large-scale and enable these

2:00:00large-scale wind and solar projects. And

2:00:02and our researchers started to quantify

2:00:04it in terms of you know that the the

2:00:07economic benefits are you know one year

2:00:09construction jobs. So creating 7,000 one

2:00:12year construction jobs, 189 maintenance

2:00:15jobs over 20 years. But the health

2:00:17benefits they they kind of measured it

2:00:18in a couple of ways. Um but the one

2:00:21metric that they started to settle on is

2:00:23you know 640 people quitting smoking for

2:00:26life.

2:00:27Or nearly 200 premature deaths avoided

2:00:30each 20 years from the benefits of these

2:00:31projects. So we have research teams that

2:00:33if you can get projects to avoided

2:00:35emissions, they can start to translate

2:00:37it into and you know these these sort of

2:00:39standard models to actually quantify

2:00:42those benefits. So yes,

2:00:44it's we have folks out there working on

2:00:45that and can help with any any study

2:00:47that to add those metrics.

2:00:50>> So it is something as an organization

2:00:52that has had to secure a substantial

2:00:53amount of funding for what we're

2:00:55currently doing.

2:00:57I can talk a little bit about how

2:00:59when you're looking to source funding,

2:01:01how arguments like how it affects our

2:01:03health plays a part. So it first it

2:01:06helps underwrite our core mission of

2:01:07vicinity why we're doing what we're

2:01:08doing.

2:01:09We've also found that when looking to

2:01:12source capital

2:01:14showing up there are sources out there

2:01:16that are willing to contribute at rates

2:01:17that are

2:01:18more competitive if you are showing up

2:01:19with projects that are moving the

2:01:21sustainability forward

2:01:23or or improving the health and wellness

2:01:25of citizens within cities. So it's not

2:01:27something that we emphasize when we are

2:01:29out there raising funds, but I think it

2:01:31is something that we usually lean

2:01:32heavily into the sustainability front,

2:01:34but I think it is something that that

2:01:36when people are looking to raise money,

2:01:37you will find out that there are other

2:01:39money sources out there if you do show

2:01:40up with these kind of solutions for for

2:01:42our cities. I think it's something that

2:01:43we'll look to emphasize more as we're

2:01:45trying to raise those type of funds. It

2:01:46can only help.

2:01:49>> I mean to call them externalities when

2:01:52they're intrinsic is

2:01:54part of the problem.

2:01:55Anyway, we're

2:01:56I don't know if DC I Watkins you wanted

2:01:58to add anything or anyone cuz I think

2:02:00we're pretty close. Anyone Matt? No?

2:02:03We're all good?

2:02:05Do we do I just say that time of the

2:02:07meeting having come we are adjourned or

2:02:09do I have to have an adjournment?

2:02:11>> You can do a voice vote to adjourn.

2:02:13>> Okay.

2:02:15On adjournment, all those in favor.

2:02:18>> Aye.

2:02:18>> Aye.

2:02:19>> Those opposed? The eyes have it. We are

2:02:21adjourned and we are so grateful cuz I

2:02:24actually feel like I should have said we

2:02:25were going to recess cuz we want to

2:02:27reconvene you all because I think this

2:02:29was really really helpful and that's how

2:02:34we're going to move forward. So um

2:02:36in this kind of collaborative and

2:02:39being honest with each other about about

2:02:41various questions. So, thank you so

2:02:43much.

2:03:04>> [music]

2:03:10[music]

2:03:21[music]

2:03:35[music]

2:03:50>> During the sweep season, which is April

2:03:521st through December 31st, we remove

2:03:55about 1,400 tons of street cleaning

2:03:59debris from the streets of Cambridge.

2:04:00About 60% of that, [music] maybe 800

2:04:03tons or so, is during the fall months,

2:04:06which we consider to be leaf season,

2:04:08October, November, and December.

2:04:12>> [music]

2:04:13>> The number of people that it takes to

2:04:15perform this operation typically is

2:04:18seven [music] people. During leaf

2:04:19season, and in particular during the

2:04:21month of November, that doubles because

2:04:23we add two vacuum sweeper operators, and

2:04:27we add four hand crew personnel who use

2:04:30hand blowers, leaf [music] blowers, to

2:04:32blow accumulated leaves out from

2:04:34underneath parked cars. Street cleaning

2:04:36is important year-round. From an

2:04:38environmental consideration, the grit

2:04:40and phosphorus loading in the Charles

2:04:41River, but also [music] from a quality

2:04:43of life consideration for Cambridge

2:04:45residents. The best thing that residents

2:04:47can do to help the program is to move

2:04:49their cars on street cleaning day.

2:04:53>> [music]

2:05:01[music]

2:05:07[music]

2:05:17[music]

2:05:24[music]

2:05:28>> Hello, my name is Alyssa Donovan and I

2:05:30serve as the victim advocate at the

2:05:31Cambridge Police Department. In my role,

2:05:33I provide support, resources, and

2:05:36advocacy to individuals and families

2:05:38affected by crime, especially those

2:05:40impacted by domestic violence and sexual

2:05:42assault.

2:05:43As an advocate, my goal is to ensure

2:05:45that survivors receive the care,

2:05:47respect, and guidance they need during

2:05:50what can be a very difficult time.

2:05:52We all have a role to play in ending

2:05:54sexual violence and creating a safe,

2:05:57supportive community for survivors.

2:05:59>> [music]

2:05:59>> Here in Cambridge, that belief has

2:06:01shaped how we work to strengthen our

2:06:03response to sexual violence.

2:06:07As our understanding of trauma deepened,

2:06:09it became clear that our department,

2:06:11alongside the broader community, needed

2:06:13to expand our efforts to provide better

2:06:15support for survivors of sexual violence

2:06:18>> [music]

2:06:18>> here in Cambridge.

2:06:20From this need in 2016, the Cambridge

2:06:22Police Department's Trauma Informed Law

2:06:24Enforcement Initiative was born. This

2:06:27initiative was designed to ensure that

2:06:29our approach to survivors

2:06:30>> [music]

2:06:31>> is grounded in trauma informed care,

2:06:33prioritizing sensitivity, respect, and

2:06:36understanding in every interaction.

2:06:38[music]

2:06:39To achieve this, we take deliberate

2:06:40steps through education, training,

2:06:43>> [music]

2:06:43>> and practice.

2:06:44This includes specialized training on

2:06:46trauma informed interviewing, victim

2:06:48[music] advocacy, and the psychological

2:06:50impact of sexual violence and trauma. We

2:06:53also work with experts across the

2:06:55country, learning from leading

2:06:56professionals in the field to ensure our

2:06:59officers and advocates are equipped with

2:07:01the knowledge and tools needed to

2:07:03effectively support survivors. By

2:07:05incorporating these practices, we have

2:07:07transformed our approach to sexual

2:07:09assault investigations to be more

2:07:11compassionate, informed, [music] and

2:07:13survivor centered.

2:07:15At the Cambridge Police Department

2:07:16Sexual Assault Unit, we offer several

2:07:18avenues of support for survivors. This

2:07:21includes victim advocacy services such

2:07:23as emotional support, safety planning,

2:07:26assistance with navigating the legal

2:07:27system,

2:07:28>> [music]

2:07:28>> and information about available

2:07:30resources like counseling and support

2:07:32groups. Victim advocates and detectives

2:07:35work together to prioritize survivors'

2:07:37needs, ensuring a thorough,

2:07:39compassionate investigation using

2:07:41[music] trauma informed approaches every

2:07:43step of the way. Our detectives are

2:07:45trained to handle sensitive cases

2:07:48[music] with the utmost care and

2:07:49diligence, collaborating with

2:07:51prosecutors and other agencies to bring

2:07:54healing and justice to those affected by

2:07:57sexual [music] violence.

2:07:58As a community, we all have a role to

2:08:00play in supporting survivors. By

2:08:02creating safe, compassionate spaces and

2:08:05listening without judgment, we help

2:08:07survivors heal and empower them to

2:08:09reclaim their voice. When we lead with

2:08:11empathy and act with intention, we don't

2:08:14just raise awareness. We build a future

2:08:17where every survivor is heard, believed,

2:08:20and supported, and where silence and

2:08:22shame no longer have a place.

2:08:24If you or someone you know needs

2:08:26assistance, please don't hesitate to

2:08:28call the Cambridge Police Department or

2:08:30to visit our website to learn more about

2:08:32available services.

2:08:34If reaching out to the police feels

2:08:35overwhelming, the Boston Area Rape

2:08:37Crisis Center offers a 24/7 confidential

2:08:40hotline to help survivors explore their

2:08:43options

2:08:43>> [music]

2:08:44>> and receive emotional support. To every

2:08:46survivor, you are not alone. Your voice

2:08:49matters and we are here to support you

2:08:51every step of the way.

2:09:13>> [music]

2:09:23[music]

2:09:32[music]

2:09:42[music]

2:09:51[music]

2:09:57[music]

2:10:01>> Across Cambridge, almost 6,000 storm

2:10:03drains help prevent street flooding by

2:10:04collecting storm water off of the

2:10:05streets.

2:10:07City crews work diligently to clear the

2:10:08storm drains before and after rain

2:10:10events, but with thousands across

2:10:11Cambridge, the job goes much faster with

2:10:13community help. Cambridge's storm sewers

2:10:15program is a way for residents to help

2:10:17keep storm drains clear so rain water

2:10:19can easily flow into the drain.

2:10:21Clearing storm drains of trash and

2:10:23leaves also prevents these materials

2:10:25from washing downstream, which

2:10:26contributes to pollution of our local

2:10:28rivers.

2:10:29As a storm steward volunteer, you choose

2:10:31a drain near your home or neighborhood,

2:10:33give it a name, and commit to checking

2:10:35on it about once a month, especially

2:10:37before big rain events.

2:10:39You don't need many supplies to be a

2:10:40storm steward. Some gloves, a trash bag

2:10:43for collected litter, a yard waste

2:10:45barrel or bag for collected leaves, and

2:10:47a rake, broom, or shovel.

2:10:49When you visit your drain, first pick up

2:10:51any litter or recyclable materials.

2:10:53These materials can be disposed with

2:10:55your regular curbside trash and

2:10:56recycling for pickup. Next, clear away

2:10:58leaves and anything else that might be

2:11:00blocking the drain. You can use your

2:11:01hands or rake or broom. If you can, it's

2:11:04good to also clear a few feet around the

2:11:06drain to help keep it clear.

2:11:07>> [music]

2:11:08>> Stay safe, work from the sidewalk, and

2:11:10be mindful of traffic.

2:11:12With regular care, storm drains usually

2:11:13take only a few minutes to clear each

2:11:15month.

2:11:16And it makes a big difference across the

2:11:18city the next time it rains.

2:11:19>> [music]

2:11:20>> To sign up, visit

2:11:21cambridgema.gov/stormwater/residents

2:11:24to find a drain in your neighborhood and

2:11:26sign up to be a storm steward.

2:11:27>> [music]

2:11:27>> Any Cambridge resident can join, and you

2:11:29can take care of as many drains as you'd

2:11:31like. Together, we can keep Cambridge's

2:11:32streets clear and our waterways clean.

2:11:42>> [music]

2:11:51[music]

2:12:01[music]

2:12:08[music]

2:12:18[music]

2:12:20>> How to register? Not registered to vote

2:12:22in Cambridge? It's easy to do.

2:12:25You can come to our new Election

2:12:26Commission office at 689 Massachusetts

2:12:30Avenue in Central Square.

2:12:32Or you can register online at

2:12:34registertovoteMA.com. [music]

2:12:36Or you can mail in a registration form.

2:12:39You must be a US citizen, a Cambridge

2:12:41resident, and 18 years or older by

2:12:44election day.

2:12:46If you are 16 or 17 years of age, you

2:12:48may pre-register.

2:12:50For more information on Cambridge

2:12:51municipal election, visit

2:12:53cambridgema.gov/elections

2:12:56or call us at 617-349-4361.

2:13:00If you need an interpreter regarding

2:13:02questions about voting in Cambridge,

2:13:04please call 617-865-2273.

2:13:08>> [music]

2:13:08>> Register today and take the first step

2:13:10towards voting.

2:13:20>> [music]

2:13:25>> Believe it or not, this was the site

2:13:27[music] of the waterline on the night of

2:13:29April 18th, 1775,

2:13:31when the British soldiers came ashore.

2:13:34You might not think [music] of that now,

2:13:35since the Charles River is so far away,

2:13:38but during the time of the Revolutionary

2:13:40War, this was the tidal flat. The

2:13:43Cambridge poet Henry Wadsworth

2:13:44Longfellow made famous [music] the

2:13:46expression "One if by land, two if by

2:13:48sea" in his poem Paul Revere's Ride.

2:13:54What [music] many people don't realize

2:13:55is that the two if by sea portion meant

2:13:58that the British troops landed in East

2:14:00Cambridge. On the night of April 18th

2:14:02and 19th, [music]

2:14:031775, when the Charles River covered a

2:14:06larger area of East Cambridge, British

2:14:08officers chose [music] to sail from

2:14:10Boston to East Cambridge because it was

2:14:12one of the shortest and least

2:14:13conspicuous routes to what would become

2:14:15known [music] as the Battle of Lexington

2:14:17and Concord.

2:14:48>> Hi, I'm [music] Carolina Almonte,

2:14:50executive director of the Commission on

2:14:52Immigrant Rights and Citizenship. Right

2:14:55now, one of the most important things we

2:14:57can do as a community is make sure

2:14:59people understand their rights. Our

2:15:01commission works to support and protect

2:15:03immigrant residents and visitors in

2:15:05Cambridge. [music]

2:15:06That includes connecting people to

2:15:08resources, advocating for policies, and

2:15:10most importantly, making sure people

2:15:12have access to accurate information.

2:15:15>> [music]

2:15:15>> One of the key areas we focus on is know

2:15:17your rights education. So, what does

2:15:20that mean?

2:15:21It means helping people understand what

2:15:23to do if they encounter immigration

2:15:25enforcement. It means knowing that you

2:15:27have the right to remain silent, [music]

2:15:29that you have the right to not open your

2:15:31door unless officers present a valid

2:15:33judicial warrant, and that you have the

2:15:35right to speak with an attorney.

2:15:37These rights apply regardless of

2:15:40immigration status.

2:15:41>> [music]

2:15:41>> Until next time, stay informed and stand

2:15:44in your power.

2:15:57>> [music]

2:16:23[music]

2:16:37[music]

2:16:45[music]

2:16:53>> During the sweep season, which is April

2:16:561st through December 31st, we remove

2:16:58about 1,400 tons of street cleaning

2:17:02debris from the streets of Cambridge.

2:17:03>> About 60% of that, [music] maybe 800

2:17:06tons or so, is during the fall months,

2:17:09which we consider to be leaf season,

2:17:11October, November, and December.

2:17:15>> [music]

2:17:16>> The number of people that it takes to

2:17:18perform this operation typically is

2:17:21seven