Geothermal Deep Direct-Use for Low-Carbon Heating: A Case Study at Cornell University

Koenraad Beckers, Hannah Pauling, Amanda Kolker, Adam Hawkins, Stephen Beyers, J. Gustafson, Teresa Jordan, Patrick Fulton, Jefferson Tester

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

2 Scopus Citations

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 languageAmerican English
Pages388-396
Number of pages9
StatePublished - 2021
Event2021 Geothermal Rising Conference: Using the Earth to Save the Earth, GRC 2021 - San Diego, United States
Duration: 3 Oct 20216 Oct 2021

Conference

Conference2021 Geothermal Rising Conference: Using the Earth to Save the Earth, GRC 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego
Period3/10/216/10/21

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

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