Abstract
Cornell University is developing a geothermal deep direct-use system to provide reliable, lowcarbon, and cost-competitive heating for its main campus in Ithaca, New York. This geothermal system, also referred to as Earth Source Heat, would provide the majority of the campus heating load and represents a key pillar for the university to become carbon neutral by 2035. Over the last 10 years, numerous desktop, seismic, and geophysical studies have been undertaken at Cornell to characterize the local subsurface, predict long-term reservoir performance, design the integration into the existing district heating network, and estimate capital and levelized costs. Recently, the university received funding for drilling an observatory well to obtain in-situ subsurface data (e.g., reservoir temperatures, pressures, fluid chemistry, stress field), significantly lowering subsurface uncertainty and de-risking the project. Drilling of the test well is planned for fall 2021. This paper provides an overview and status of the project, including a summary of past studies and a description of the proposed well and planned testing activities.
Original language | American English |
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Pages | 388-396 |
Number of pages | 9 |
State | Published - 2021 |
Event | 2021 Geothermal Rising Conference: Using the Earth to Save the Earth, GRC 2021 - San Diego, United States Duration: 3 Oct 2021 → 6 Oct 2021 |
Conference
Conference | 2021 Geothermal Rising Conference: Using the Earth to Save the Earth, GRC 2021 |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | San Diego |
Period | 3/10/21 → 6/10/21 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:Copyright © 2021 Geothermal Rising.
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/CP-5700-80205
Keywords
- Cornell University
- Decarbonization
- Deep Direct-Use
- Earth Source Heat
- Enhanced Geothermal Systems
- Geothermal District Heating
- Low-Carbon Heating