efficient heating options since the heating and cooling process
uses ground temperatures, often only utilizing fossil-fuel-based
energy to generate the electricity that is needed to operate
heat pumps; and
WHEREAS, Utilizing geothermal ground-source heat pump
technology on individual properties can be expensive, which
poses a significant barrier to widespread adoption; and
WHEREAS, The concept of establishing geothermal
microdistricts is a means of overcoming these financial
barriers, since this concept involves connecting multiple
customers on a shared loop system; and
WHEREAS, This would not only allow the overall cost to be
spread out and evenly shared, but would provide utility
companies with the ability to gradually transition away from the
use of fossil fuels while offering new services; and
WHEREAS, Natural gas utility providers already have extensive
experience with drilling, trenching and laying pipe as well as
managing capital-intensive projects and investments in long-term
assets, which would make the natural gas utility providers well
suited to developing large-scale multi-property geothermal
systems; and
WHEREAS, As such, if geothermal microdistricts proved
feasible, this could be transformative for advancement of zero
carbon energy, while also lessening this Commonwealth's reliance
on foreign fossil fuels; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study on the
feasibility of constructing geothermal systems in densely
populated locations of this Commonwealth and to issue a report
of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly; and
20230HR0266PN2313 - 2 -
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