Agawam High School Geothermal Site Tour
An increasing number of school districts in the Commonwealth are pursuing ground-source (aka geothermal) heating and cooling systems. But the vast majority of district leaders are doing so without the benefit of firsthand experience of how this technology is implemented. With so many school geothermal projects currently underway, district leaders have an opportunity to learn from one another - sharing insights, strategies, and practical considerations to plan successful projects. Undaunted was motivated to make that happen.
On October 7th, we partnered with Brightcore Energy and Eversource to give school district leaders an up close and personal experience of a live geothermal drilling site at Agawam High School.
Local leaders Mayor Christopher Johnson, Superintendent Sheila Martin, and Principal Jim Blain shared how the geothermal system in the new Agawam school buildings will address the need for cooling, eliminate fossil fuel use in the building, and help them manage operating costs.
MSBA Executive Director Mary Pichetti highlighted the number of Massachusetts schools embracing geothermal and how the technology supports districts in providing healthy learning environments and maintaining them over time.
Event participants learned from national geothermal expert, Tracey Ogden, SVP of Geothermal Operations for Brightcore and Mark Abdella, VP of Construction Management Services for Fontaine Brothers as they answered questions about what makes for a good geothermal site, what factors affect cost and speed of drilling, and how to be successful maximizing incentives.
School district leaders, architects, and project managers from across the state attended the event including a capital planner from Boston Public Schools, a Superintendent and Facilities Director from Revere, a Director of Climate Action from Northampton and a CFO from Springfield Public Schools.
A special thank you to Agawam Public Schools, the Town of Agawam, Brightcore Energy, Eversource, MSBA, LeftField, and Fontaine Brothers, for collaborating with us to make this event happen.
Check out our website to learn more about funding for school decarbonization in Massachusetts as well as federal energy tax credits for geothermal. Sign up for our newsletter and reach out if we can help.
