Concentration of CO2 in the Atmosphere

Just In! (from NY-GEO)

Just In! is NY-GEO’s weekly news feed for members. NY-GEO’s calendar-year memberships are open to everyone and available for as little as $35. See more information on memberships hereClick here to see some of the work a NY-GEO membership supports. We also feature three of the top news item summaries on the NY-GEO home page every Monday.

LCOR Breaks Ground on “Largest Geothermal Project in NY City’s History” – from Real Estate Weekly – LCOR today broke ground on its newest development at 1515 Surf Avenue in Coney Island. The site…will consist of 463 apartments, including 139 affordable units and 11,000 s/f of ground floor retail space. Through a partnership with NY-GEO member Ecosave USA, the project was awarded a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Community Heat Pump System Pilot Program. A geothermal heat pump system effectively uses the earth to heat and cool the building and its domestic hot water systems, which eliminates the need for traditional equipment that runs on fossil fuels. The result will be the largest geothermal project in New York City’s history which will significantly reduce carbon emissions by over 60 percent and serve as a model for residential developments across the country. NY-GEO Board Member Zach Fink is a consultant to the project with design contributions from NY-GEO Member Jeff Urlaub of MEP Geothermal. Full article here.
RMI Takes on the 100 Foot Gas Subsidy – “If you’ve ever thought to yourself, ‘I wish I had a ~15 page report on an obscure fossil fuel subsidy we could get rid of’ – today is the day your wish comes true.” So says Sherri Billimoria from RMI upon the release of their new report: Overextended: It’s Time to Rethink Subsidized Gas Line Extensions.
The paper dives into the common practice of utilities requiring current customers to cover the construction costs of extending the gas system to new customers. This practice effectively subsidizes gas system expansion, at a time when decarbonization requires dramatic cuts to gas usage. Given this expected shift away from gas use, line extension allowances also build up a big financial burden that will be challenging to pay off. The report explores what these policies are, how and why they have historically been justified, and why the context has changed such that they should be phased out now. Here’s a quick 1-minute teaser video on the report.
NY-GEO Looks at Thermal Utilities – In its December 7th session of the Electrify with Heat Pumps webinar series, NY-GEO featured 5 examples of thermal utilities, which can be a great way of eliminating the upfront cost of geothermal installations. To see a recording of the session, the slides and the partially transcribed Q & A, click here and scroll down the list.
Progressive Climate Agenda This Session for NY Legislature? – The state needs to wean itself off fossil fuels, but lawmakers disagree about how – and how quickly – to do that – by Zach Williams – City & State – “A growing group of left-leaning legislators want to block the use of fossil fuels in a variety of ways, which has already led to some friction between colleagues urging a more gradual approach. ‘This is a 911 emergency,’ state Sen. James Sanders Jr. of Queens said in an interview. ‘We have to move on and say: No more new fossil fuel infrastructure.’” Full article here.

Senator James W. Sander

 

Building electrification momentum grew in US cities in 2021 – From Denver to Ithaca, New York, cities are imposing stricter decarbonization policies that target new and old buildings. Published Dec. 8, 2021 – by Utility Dive – Maria Rachal – “Much of the national focus around electrification has centered on the transportation sector and the push toward electric vehicles. But at the local level, a growing number of cities have also increased attention to their building stocks, using electrification strategies that have evolved in scope.” Full article here. (Tip from Chloe Zilliac at the National Building Electrification Network and Sunstone Strategies).

 

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