Below are G.E.T.’s top picks from NY-GEO’s weekly “Just-In” Newsletter. Just In! features three fresh news item summaries on the NY-GEO home page every Monday. NY-GEO members get the full newsletter, which includes an advanced look at the website articles, plus event listings and job openings and several bonus article summaries with links, usually on the Saturday before website publication.
NYS Power Prices Surged with Peak Demand on June 29th – Last week New York experienced a much shorter and less severe heat wave than our suffering neighbors to the West. Nonetheless our “miniwave” showed once again the impact of peak power demand on electricity prices. On very hot days, the efficiency of air-sourced space conditioning equipment drops substantially. This increases the demand for electricity and stresses our grid. It means electric generating plants that are normally idle, because they’re too dirty and too expensive, are forced into service. The map below shows the impact on electric prices on the afternoon of June 29th. Western NY electric supply prices, which normally hover in the 2-4 cents/kWh ($20-$40/MWh) range, shot up to 99 cents/kWh or $990/MWh. Geothermal heating and cooling systems offer the solution to this problem by maintaining their efficiency in the hottest and coldest weather because they don’t interact with outside air temperature, only the constant temperature below ground. Thanks to NY-GEO member Jens Ponikau for this tip.
Buffalo Developers Plan Second Geothermal Building – “Three years after completing their second project at a prominent West Side corner, a pair of siblings are unveiling a venture a few doors to the north along the Grant Street corridor… Matthew and Christopher Siano’s HES Properties wants to construct a three-story building with nine apartments and a single ground-floor commercial space on a vacant lot at 386 Grant…The $2.4 million project will be a renewable-energy building, featuring geothermal heating and cooling, along with solar roof panels. No natural gas will be needed. “ Read the Buffalo News article here. The new Siano project follows on the heels of their nearby successful new-build with geothermal heating and cooling where the loop field was installed directly under the building in a tight urban corner lot.
Jens Ponikau of Buffalo Geothermal (in white shirt) presents to the community on the geothermal system at the Siano Building in April of 2017
Showcase Your Ground Source Heat Pump Project – NY-GEO Policy Advisory Board member Joanne Coons offers to help you include your geothermal project in a local tour as part of the National Solar Tour. Coons calls it “An excellent opportunity to educate and raise awareness of clean heating and cooling using the natural heat from the ground. Contact ASES nkipple@ases.org, or I will be glad to answer questions. We’ve participated since 2002 – J.coons359@gmail.com. 2021 National Solar Tour forms are now open! Sign up for your local Solar Tour today! Deadline to sign up is August 15th.
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