Central Hudson Gas & Electric has received approval from state regulators to move forward with a pilot program that could bring clean and energy efficient heating and cooling to a community in the City of Poughkeepsie.
The New York State Public Service Commission recently granted approval for engineering design of a proposed Utility Thermal Energy Network (UTEN), or district geothermal network. Upon building the new system, Central Hudson would offer this new service to local customers and determine how geothermal can expanded in the future, including what jobs are needed to build, operate, and maintain larger UTENs.
The proposed location for Central Hudson’s project is near the site of the future Youth Opportunity Union (The YOU), Harriet Tubman Terrace apartments and Hudson River Housing. The UTEN is expected to serve residential and non-residential customers and it is estimated that the project could result in an annual decrease of up to 561 metric tons of carbon emissions.
“Dutchess County is a leader in New York State for our work in energy efficiency and environmentally conscious initiatives,” Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said. “We are pleased to partner with Central Hudson on this opportunity to bring geothermal heating and cooling to not only the future YOU facility, but an entire neighborhood in the City of Poughkeepsie. It is collaborations like these that make an important difference in protecting our environment and improving the quality of life for generations to come.”
"We congratulate Central Hudson on getting approval for the engineering design phase of this innovative project," said City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers. "Geothermal power offers a more environmentally friendly way to bring energy heat our city’s homes and businesses to our city to while reducing reduce our use of fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, or oil. The energy is coming right from our ground, not from distant power plants. Central Hudson's project holds great promise, and we are elated the city has been chosen as a site for this pilot program."
Thermal energy networks are a form of energy that uses the stable temperatures beneath the Earth’s surface in conjunction with heat-pump technologies to provide efficient heating and cooling to buildings. Geothermal loops are an energy efficient means of heating and cooling individual homes and buildings.
“The UTEN pilot project in Poughkeepsie is using a proven technology – geothermal heating – and applying it in a new way that could potentially significantly reduce carbon emissions produced through building heating,” said Eric Kiszkiel, Vice president of gas engineering and operation at Central Hudson. “In addition, this project, when completed will provide clean, efficient heating and cooling to some of our most vulnerable residents in the community.”
Central Hudson expects the Engineering Design phase to take approximately a year to complete. Project construction would begin once designs are approved by the Public Service Commission, with the geothermal network expected to start serving customers in 2027.
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