New Executive Summary Available for Salem Geothermal Community Engagement Project

Earlier this year, the MIT Renewable Energy Clinic partnered with the City of Salem to engage residents, businesses, community organizations, technical experts, and public officials in conversations about the proposed Salem Geothermal Energy Network (GEN). Building on the initial feasibility study, the Clinic worked to better understand community priorities and identify opportunities to strengthen the project.

We're pleased to share that the project's Stakeholder Engagement Report is now available on our Publications page, along with a new two-page Executive Summary highlighting the engagement process, key findings, and recommendations.

Throughout the semester, the Clinic expanded outreach through interviews, site visits, public events, virtual office hours, multilingual informational materials, and interactive community exercises. Participants identified lower energy costs, environmental sustainability, and community leadership as major opportunities, while also emphasizing the importance of transparent communication, financial feasibility, and minimizing construction impacts.

The report recommends improving accessible communication, providing clearer guidance for prospective participants, exploring additional feasibility studies, strengthening coordination with City planning efforts, and continuing to highlight community co-benefits.

We encourage you to read the full Stakeholder Engagement Report on our Publications page or download the Executive Summary for a concise overview of the Clinic's findings.

Thank you to everyone in the Salem community who shared their time and perspectives throughout this engagement process. If you would like more information or have any follow-up questions, please contact the MIT Renewable Energy Clinic team at reclinic-salem@mit.edu.

Executive Summary Salem Geothermal Community.pdf

Download PDF • 5.32MB