Spotlight On: Jaclyn Bliss, Chief Customer Officer, Vicinity Energy

Boston company is helping create carbon-neutral buildings in Fenway

Vicinity Energy Announces Partnership with IQHQ to Power Fully Carbon-Neutral Development in Fenway

Vicinity Energy Announces Partnership with IQHQ to Power Fully Carbon-Neutral Development in Fenway

Boston, February 8, 2023- Vicinity Energy, a national decarbonization leader with an extensive portfolio of district energy systems across the United States, announced a long-term partnership with IQHQ, Inc., a premier life sciences real estate development company focused on leadership in sustainability. Vicinity will provide eSteam™, its new carbon-free, renewable thermal energy offering to IQHQ to rapidly decarbonize IQHQ’s developments in the Fenway neighborhood district.

Under the agreement, IQHQ’s development at 109 Brookline Avenue will use 100% eSteam™ for heating—making it one of Boston’s first entirely carbon-neutral buildings. The 305,000-square-foot office and laboratory space is part of IQHQ’s FWD district, a growing life science cluster connecting Kenmore Square with the Longwood Medical Academic Area.

IQHQ is also pursuing eSteam™ at its Fenway Center development, a mixed-use, transit-oriented life science campus located at the western gateway to Boston. Fenway Center will include nearly 1 million square feet of commercial office and lab space built over the Mass Pike, and will become the anchor of IQHQ’s FWD district.

Vicinity will begin delivering carbon-free eSteam™ in 2024.

“At IQHQ, we have a commitment to developing class-A life science districts that provide our tenant, visitors, and communities at large with healthy, resilient, and responsible spaces,” said Jenny Whitson, Director, Sustainability & ESG for IQHQ. “We are excited to partner with Vicinity Energy to decarbonize the steam serving our projects.”

Vicinity’s expansion into Boston’s Fenway neighborhood marks a significant milestone in Vicinity’s Clean Energy Future plans, and paves the way for more building owners and property managers to leverage eSteam™ for rapid building decarbonization to combat climate change and meet sustainability goals.

Vicinity is the first district energy company in the U.S. to commit to fully decarbonizing its operations, offering renewable thermal energy by installing electric boilers, industrial-scale heat pumps, and thermal storage at its central facilities starting in Boston and Cambridge, with its other districts to follow. eSteam™ is the nation’s first 100% carbon-free renewable energy product, providing a one-stop-shop for Greater Boston businesses and institutions grappling with enforceable emissions performance standards and cities tackling the highest source of emissions.

“We are proud to partner with IQHQ as our first carbon-free eSteam™ customer to reduce their buildings’ carbon emissions and enable IQHQ to achieve their ESG goals while complying with the city’s BERDO 2.0 regulations,” said Bill DiCroce, president and chief executive officer of Vicinity Energy. “This eSteam partnership not only signifies our commitment to a clean energy future, but it also demonstrates the commitment from progressive, innovative industry leaders, like IQHQ, who are committed to lower carbon emissions and to combat climate change.”

Click here to read more about Vicinity’s district energy systems and its commitment to innovation and the environment.

About IQHQ
IQHQ is giving progress a home, empowering the life science community to thrive and succeed by creating and developing districts that inspire innovation and drive progress and growth. IQHQ’s focus is to acquire, develop, and operate sustainable transformational life science districts in the innovation hubs of San Francisco, San Diego, and Boston in the United States, and the United Kingdom. IQHQ has offices in San Diego, Boston and the UK. To learn more, visit iqhqreit.com or follow us on Linkedin or Instagram.

About Vicinity Energy

Vicinity Energy is a clean energy company that owns and operates an extensive portfolio of district energy systems across the United States. Vicinity produces and distributes reliable, clean steam, hot water, and chilled water to over 250 million square feet of building space nationwide. Vicinity continuously invests in its infrastructure and the latest technologies to accelerate the decarbonization of commercial and institutional buildings in city centers. Vicinity is committed to achieving net zero carbon across its portfolio by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.vicinityenergy.us or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

Media Contact

Vicinity Energy
Sara DeMille
Marketing and Communications
857-955-5073
sara.demille@vicinityenergy.us

 

Vicinity Energy Partners with IQHQ on Carbon-neutral Development in Fenway

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White paper: Revolutionizing urban sustainability

We’re amid an energy transformation driven by a mounting global crisis: climate change. Across the world, we are experiencing more extreme weather events due to accelerating levels of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. Mitigating carbon in the production and distribution of energy is now just as critically important as our society’s ever-growing need for energy itself. It’s clear that we need resilient, reliable and agile energy solutions…now. 

District energy systems, like Vicinity’s, are uniquely positioned to take advantage of existing infrastructure in conjunction with critical technological advancements to cost-effectively decarbonize quickly. This white paper highlights the benefits of district energy in a decarbonizing world, specifically how electrifying district energy can help urban centers rapidly and affordably achieve city and state carbon reduction goals.

Learn more about how the electrification of district energy systems can help U.S. cities achieve building decarbonization.

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In this white paper, you'll learn:

Our plan

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Leading examples

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