Boston Launches Study on Using Harbor Water for Heating, Cooling Buildings

A $500,000 feasibility study launched by the city of Boston and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is examining the potential to tap thermal energy from Boston Harbor and the Charles and Mystic rivers for a large-scale heating and cooling network.

According to a Boston Globe report, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, a nonprofit that works with the city on climate issues, put the research out to bid. Responses from consultants are due by April 29. MassCEC is giving $450,000 to the project, while the city is contributing $50,000.

The study will assess technical questions, including whether a water-pipe system is effective, projected costs, and the roles of local utilities such as Eversource, National Grid, or Vicinity.

Mayor Wu's administration and MassCEC envision a bold, scalable model inspired by the Toronto deep lake water cooling approach to address Boston's energy needs and accelerate decarbonization by 2050.

“We sit next to a similar thermal mass [as Lake Ontario] and have a tremendous amount of development, both existing and future, adjacent to our shoreline,” said Brian Swett, Wu's chief climate officer, in a statement shared with the Globe. “How do we think about that as part of our solution to Boston's energy and infrastructure needs?”

The project could source heat or cooling from the bedrock beneath the Charles and Mystic rivers, capitalizing on the stable temperatures there. Lindsey Butler, the Green Ribbon Commission's executive director, told the Globe that universities and hospitals with large campuses and progressive climate goals would likely anchor the system. Eventually, developers with projects along or near the waterfront may also be invited to join the effort.

“This is the kind of bold stuff that it takes to free us from the volatility of fossil fuels,” Butler stated to the Globe. “If anyone can do this, it's Boston.”