On Friday, October 27th, Zeyneb Magavi of the Home Energy Efficiency team, HEET, will speak on Cutting Carbon Emissions: Geothermal Energy.

She will share an unfolding story of socio-technical systems change that has resulted in a new rapidly spreading decarbonization pathway for our built environment. HEET’s proposed ‘Gas to Geo’ pathway allows gas utilities to evolve to deliver non-emitting thermal energy to customers via networked geothermal technology. With 23 gas utilities engaged and two currently installing geo infrastructure to move customers off gas, many of us may be heating and cooling our homes with geo service in the future. Spanning the breadth of the energy system from workforce to equity to community engagement to engineering, drilling, and new heat pump markets, this story demonstrates the potential of collaborative innovation for the public good. Zeyneb is co-executive director of HEET, where she designed and helped to launch the GasToGeo initiative to drive rapid, efficient, and equitable decarbonization of heating and cooling through deployment of ambient geothermal networks. Today GasToGeo demonstration projects are moving forward across the country and Zeyneb has convened an independent research team to study these first transitions. Zeyneb studied physics, global health, and sustainability and has worked at BBN Technologies, Harvard, MIT, and multiple startups. She is committed to creating and driving forward compassionate, multi-disciplinary and innovative solutions to the urgent challenge of climate change.

On Friday, October 13, Walter Hubbard will moderate our discussion on Solutions for the Grid: The Light at the End of the Tunnel.

In 1963 at the age of twelve, Walter’s Science Fair project was a Solar PhotoVoltaic cell powering a motor. Ever since, he has been enthralled with energy production earning a BSME at University of Rhode Island in power engineering. Upon graduating, he designed components of nuclear power plants for Stone and Webster and then later designing, installing, and troubleshooting steam turbine generators for General Electric in nuclear and fossil power plants. In the late 70s he was a formative part of several volunteer alternative energy groups. In 1982, Walter earned his MBA at the University of Michigan emphasizing Solar PhotoVoltaic Engineering and Energy Economics. Since then, Walter has been a financial and engineering consultant to the waste to energy industry, but more recently a computer consultant to small businesses and individuals. Walter practices what he preaches by driving an electric vehicle and heating and cooling with heat pumps powered in part by solar panels and a Powerwall battery at his home.