The team continues to collaborate with other city departments to understand how to best adapt that space for new technology.Įsquivel said the program has since been implemented citywide and developers working on projects of 1.5 million square feet or more must submit a technical and financial feasibility report that includes a district energy microgrid plan. The ongoing challenge, especially in a city like Boston with older roadways, is that the infrastructure needed to deploy microgrids citywide would need to be placed under the streets with existing water, sewer, traffic, transit, and telecommunications infrastructure.

They connect to the main electric utility grid, but can rely solely on renewable energy sources and operate independently during outages.Ĭommunity-wide microgrids could reduce emissions, energy use, and costs and make onsite energy more resilient, Esquivel, who also works with the city's Community Energy Planning Program, said. Microgrids are energy systems that provide thermal and electrical energy onsite for clusters of buildings. In the early days of what became the Smart Utilities Program, the Boston Planning and Development Agency and other city departments began discussing how district energy microgrids, often used by healthcare and higher-education campuses, could be beneficial at the community level, Esquivel said. District energy microgrids could make energy more affordable and reduce emissions Here's a look at some of the technologies the program is deploying across the city. In 2020, the Boston Planning and Development Agency approved an update to the Smart Utilities Program to 'cement it as no longer a pilot program anymore,' Esquivel said. 'People continue to show up, all of the different agencies continue to show up, proving how important the conversation is,' he said, adding that the committee created in 2016 to study the program prelaunch continues to meet regularly.

While the technologies are at various stages of implementation, the city has been laying the foundations and engaging key stakeholders - including businesses, universities, and the public - for years, Manuel Esquivel, the city's senior infrastructure and energy planner, told Insider. Courtesy of the Boston Smart Utilities Program

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