Photo courtesy Brooke Coupal and UMass Lowell
A pilot project touted as reducing carbon emissions on the campus of UMass Lowell and surrounding neighborhoods has gone dark, as higher than anticipated costs led National Grid to pull the plug on the venture.
A story at Commonwealth Beacon broke the news yesterday, which was previously revealed to “select stakeholders,” but not released publicly.
UMass Lowell and the city became the first of three test sites in April of 2023. There is another pilot site under development in Boston and one already operating in Framingham.
“UMass Lowell appreciates the opportunity to have partnered with National Grid and the City of Lowell on the networked geothermal pilot project,” UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen tells InsideLowell. “When Lowell was selected as the first pilot location in National Grid’s territory, we engaged with the understanding that we were embarking on a valuable learning process. Our faculty, staff and students have embraced this opportunity, and we are currently engaged in a number of research and innovation projects focused on this critical energy solution.”
Photo courtesy Brooke Coupal and UMass Lowell
At the time of the pilot project’s announcement, both Chen and Lowell City Manager Tom Golden praised the initiative for tackling climate change and sustainability, a goal the university will continue to work toward despite the cancellation.
“While it is unfortunate that the pilot will not move forward at this time, the process has generated important insights and strengthened our understanding of geothermal technology,” Chen went on to say. “The collaboration has fostered research, innovation and meaningful discussions around the future of clean energy solutions, which will continue to inform and shape energy transition efforts across the region. Geothermal and networked geothermal technology remain a vital part of the state’s energy transition. UMass Lowell remains committed to working alongside all partners to ensure that the time, effort and resources invested in the Lowell pilot can be leveraged for broader impact. We are confident that this collaborative approach will deliver meaningful returns for our campus, the local community and the Commonwealth as a whole.”
“There are a number of issues that contributed to the higher-than-anticipated costs including inflation, rising supply costs, an undeveloped market (lack of competition) for geothermal construction, and, notably, the underground geologic conditions in Lowell that made the infrastructure more costly,” National Grid Spokesperson Christine Milligan told Commonwealth Beacon.
Milligan went on to say the two holes already dug as part of the project have been refilled.
