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Session Abstract

Cornell is committed to carbon neutrality by 2035 for the main Ithaca campus - currently served by a highly efficient, natural gas combined heat and power plant. Our carbon-free future involves moving to separately procured grid-tied electricity, and on-site renewable heat.

Heating “plan A” is the novel integration of direct use geothermal heat (DDU) from approximately 3 kilometers deep, nicknamed Earth Source Heat (ESH). The US Department of Energy is supporting DDU geothermal, and awarded Cornell $7.3M to fund the Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO) to be drilled summer 2022. CUBO aims to inform the viability and safety of an ESH demonstration project, and ultimately heating the campus.

Presenters

Bert Bland, Associate VP, Energy & Sustainability, Cornell University