You are here

Project Updates for collection: Geothermal Projects

Search

Search tips:

  • This form will search for words in the title OR the description. If you would like to search for the same term(s) across both the title and description, enter the same search term(s) in both fields.
  • This form will search for any of the words you enter in a field, not the exact phrase you enter. If you would like to search for an exact phrase, put double quotes (") around the phrase. For example, if you search for Bike Path you will get results containing either the word Bike OR the word Path, but if you search for "Bike Path" you will get results containing the exact phrase Bike Path.

  2. Status Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    The following is an email conversation between Morgan White, Ahmed Hassan, and Johnathan Hasselbring.

    On Jul 6, 2023 Morgan sent the following:

    Hi Ahmed,

    Thanks for sending another email!  I meant to get back to you earlier, so thanks for the additional note.

    Jon, can you provide information to Ahmed about the current status of the geothermal system at CIF, or connect him with the appropriate people?

    Ahmed, please use this info to request the energy data access:

    The Energy Billing System (EBS) is a web-based software application that offers utility cost and consumption by month, building, and meter. It allows users to view current and historic information, compare buildings, and see trends over time. It requires Blue-Stem authorization and users must request access from F&S.

    Thanks!

    Morgan

    ------------

    Dear Morgan, 

    Thank you very much for the prompt response. Your contribution is highly appreciated. 

    Best Regards 

    Ahmed 

    -------------

    Hi Ahmed,

    The geothermal system is in operation and coupled with a heat recovery chiller and radiant heating panels.

    Geothermal provides about 75% of the heating and cooling needs for the building, with the heat recovery chiller and radiant panels supplementing the remaining 25%.

    Please let me know what questions you might have, and I will gladly connect you with more members of the team.

    Thanks,

    Jon

  3. Professor Yu-Feng Lin Featured on 'Wired' Article

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Battery at Energy Farm

    UIUC's Yu-Feng Lin was featured on a "wired" article. Andrew Stumpf explains, "The authors did a simulation for a residential district in Chicago. They don’t provide much detail about the geology and hydrogeology that is the basis for the geotechnical model. In Chicago, aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) has yet to be used because groundwater is pretty scarce in the shallow subsurface and one would need to tap aquifers deeper in the bedrock. In the northern and western suburbs, the subsurface conditions in the glacial deposits is much better and I believe Kane County is looking into using the aquifers for a geothermal resource."

    The article can be found at: https://www.wired.com/story/the-massive-batteries-hidden-beneath-your-fe...

    UIUC newsletter: https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/32/64507332.html 

    The referenced article is attached.

    Attached Files: 

  4. Considerations for clean thermal energy

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Thermal Energy
    Solar Thermal at ARC
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Geothermal on Campus
    Grind2Energy

    There are a few examples of clean thermal energy in use on campus at this time. These include:

    • the solar thermal panels on the Activities Rec Center, heating the three swimming pools
    • the biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, heating the two story greenhouse on south Race Street
    • geothermal installations providing heating and cooling at the Fruit Farm Admin Building, the RIPE greenhouse, the Campus Instructional Facility, a few buildings at Allerton Park, the solar decathlon Gable Home at the Energy Farm, and a few rooms in the Hydrosystems Building
    • a wood-fired stove heating some maintenance buildings at Allerton Park

    We could expand these types of energy systems...

    • Additional geothermal installations are being planned for various places around campus, including a geothermal battery system at the Energy Farm.  The other geothermal locations in planning discussions now include the South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning, a future greenhouse for CABBI, and the Doris Christopher Kelley Illinois Extension Building in the Arboretum.
    • The biomass boiler at the Energy Farm was designed with the anticipation of future expansion.
    • Solar thermal is a great option for our area of the planet, but it is not easy to integrate it in our existing energy enterprise.

    Another option for clean thermal energy is biogas, which UIUC contributes to locally through the Grind2Energy system, which takes food waste from the dining halls to the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD).  UCSD puts it through their anaerobic digester which captures the methane (a very strong greenhouse gas).  Currently, that captured methane is used to run an electrical generator, which provides power to the UCSD facility.  An alternative would be to upgrade the methane to pipeline quality and use the biogas a Abbott Power Plant on campus.  This is an expensive option that would require a lot of coordination and funding.

    Another strong option is a micronuclear reactor, which is being studies by the Grainger College of Engineering faculty and researchers.  This system could be integrated with the existing steam distribution system and provide ghg-free energy to campus.

     

  5. Update on drilling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Battery at Energy Farm

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J 
    Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2023 7:37 PM
    To: Rubin, Joshua ; Mies, Tim ; Lamb, Jeremy ; Klein, Bradley Dean 
    Cc: Lin, Yu-Feng ; Weckle, Amy Lorraine; White, Morgan 
    Subject: UTB at the Energy Farm

     

    Hi folks,

     

    Here is an update. Dom and Todd worked to get half of the hole grouted today and now wait until tomorrow morning to see if the battery floats, or not. Theoretically it should not, but we will see. They will start up again at 8 am if anyone is over that way. Xiaobing and Tony have gone back to Tennessee.

     

    Best,

    Andy

  6. Invitation to collaborate on a presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

     

    I was contact by some colleagues withy Future Earth – Taipei (https://futureearth.org/about/who-we-are/international-offices/taipei-global-hub/) for a potential webinar series.  I suggested them to think about campus sustainability actions as a living laboratory and they are very intrigued by this idea.  They asked me to suggest speakers and I am thinking about Jack, Morgan and Andy.  So, I would like to ask if you are interested.  Some of their previous talk can be found at https://www.facebook.com/futureearth.org/.  All the communications and activities will be between 6pm-11pm CST due to time difference.  I am happy to have more discussion if you are interested.

     

    Presenters:

     

    Ms. Morgan White, https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2021/10/14/white-named-acting-director-of-the-f-s-capital-programs-division

    Mr. Jack Reicherts, https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/team/reicherts/

    Dr. Andrew Stumpf, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=astumpf@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

    Dr. Ping-Yu Change, https://scholars.ncu.edu.tw/en/persons/ping-yu-chang

    Dr. Jui-Pin (Rubin) Tsai, https://www.bse.ntu.edu.tw/member?teacher_id=48&page=1

    Dr. Yu-Feng Forrrest Lin, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=yflin@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

     

    Cheers,

     

    Yu-Feng F. Lin

    Director

        Illinois Water Resources Center

    Principal Research Hydrogeologist

        Illinois State Geological Survey

    Clinical Professor

        Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Research Professor

        Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  7. Invitation to collaborate on a presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

     

    I was contact by some colleagues withy Future Earth – Taipei (https://futureearth.org/about/who-we-are/international-offices/taipei-global-hub/) for a potential webinar series.  I suggested them to think about campus sustainability actions as a living laboratory and they are very intrigued by this idea.  They asked me to suggest speakers and I am thinking about Jack, Morgan and Andy.  So, I would like to ask if you are interested.  Some of their previous talk can be found at https://www.facebook.com/futureearth.org/.  All the communications and activities will be between 6pm-11pm CST due to time difference.  I am happy to have more discussion if you are interested.

     

    Presenters:

     

    Ms. Morgan White, https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2021/10/14/white-named-acting-director-of-the-f-s-capital-programs-division

    Mr. Jack Reicherts, https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/team/reicherts/

    Dr. Andrew Stumpf, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=astumpf@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

    Dr. Ping-Yu Change, https://scholars.ncu.edu.tw/en/persons/ping-yu-chang

    Dr. Jui-Pin (Rubin) Tsai, https://www.bse.ntu.edu.tw/member?teacher_id=48&page=1

    Dr. Yu-Feng Forrrest Lin, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=yflin@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

     

    Cheers,

     

    Yu-Feng F. Lin

    Director

        Illinois Water Resources Center

    Principal Research Hydrogeologist

        Illinois State Geological Survey

    Clinical Professor

        Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Research Professor

        Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  8. Project Announcement for UTB Installation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Battery at Energy Farm

    Below is a message from Andrew Stumpf regarding the installation of the underground thermal battery at the UIUC Energy Farm:

    Dear colleagues,

     

    It is with great excitement that I can announce the project to install Underground Thermal Battery (UTB) system developed by Dr. Xiaobing Liu’s team at Oakridge National Laboratory at UIUC Energy Farm will begin next week. This will be a several weeks project that includes installing the UTB, associated geothermal boreholes, geothermal heat pump, HVAC upgrades and control center. On Monday the UTB will be placed in the ground. Skinner Drilling will be installing the UTB with assistance from Durbin Geothermal. All the other work will follow over the coming weeks. I expect drilling will start between 8:00 and 8:30 and take about 1 hour, and then the battery will be lowered into the ground and be done before noon.

     

    You're most welcome to visit.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

  12. CIF Geothermal Exchange Borefield Information Resources

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    Below is an email from Andrew Stumpf regarding the CIF's Geothermal Exhange Borefield.

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J <astumpf at illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, October 24, 2022 9:39 AM
    Subject: Re: CEE190 Instructor meeting

     

    Hi Eric,

     

    Yes. The report is available on IDEALS https://hdl.handle.net/2142/111796, so publicly available. Correct, John has been doing further study on the CIF building. He has been working with me on the research… his PhD exam is next Monday, so pretty busy. I’ve only had a brief tour of the mechanicals when it was first built, so I can’t really comment about the system inside. Dr. Tugce Baser in CEE tbaser at illinois.edu I believe received a more detailed tour, so you might want to reach out to her. Here is some information about the mechanicals published for an ASHRAE award the building received.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

    Attached Files: 

  14. Geothermal Urbana-Champaign Project Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign

    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign Project updates:

    • Geothermal Urbana-Champaign is an ongoing project with no end deadline.
    • John Freitag is the Project Consultant.
    • So far, 11 geothermal contracts have been signed for 47 tons of capacity.
    • During the first year of the Geothermal Program, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association MREA was involved in helping to start and run the program. 

    The marketing resources document of the project is attached.

  16. Thank You for Attending Geothermal Illinois: Community or District-Level Systems (Renewable Heating and Cooling)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    The following message was sent to individuals who attended the "Geothermal Illinois: Community - & District-Level Systems" presentation led by Brian Urlaub, Associate Vice President & Director of Geothermal Operations, Salas O'Brien:

    Dear Participants,

     

    Many thanks for attending Geothermal Illinois: Community- & district-level systems, presented by Brian Urlaub, Associate Vice President & Director of Geothermal Operations, SALAS O’BRIEN. Many thanks to the University of Illinois Extension Natural Resource, Energy, and Environment educator Jay Solomon, University of Illinois Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Dr. Tugce Baser, and Illinois Geological Survey’s Andrew Stumpf for presenting additional information on efforts, research, technology, and funding opportunities. We also recognize our network of partnering organizations, whose titles with websites are listed below, along with a link to today’s webinar recording, slide decks, and resource links.

     

    Recording: https://youtu.be/A5x-RVKuIqQ

    Slide Decks: https://uofi.box.com/s/rexji3kosgc4poifqxh21a1x9d2ftjqb 

    Resource Links:

    Funding opportunities:

    https://oced-exchange.energy.gov/FileContent.aspx?FileID=ee3f71ec-49e4-40d3-9d27-04d10be90be5

     

    Partner organizations:

    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition (MBDC)

    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    Illinois Water Resources Center

    Geothermal Alliance of Illinois

    International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA)

    The Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEOEXCHANGE)

    Prairie Rivers Network

    Citizens Utility Board

    Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition

     

    Many thanks for your interest in today’s topic. Our presenters and experts are copied on this email, and you are welcome to reach out to any of us for further conversation and support as you work towards energy independence, resiliency, and sustainability!

     

    Best wishes,

     

    NANCY OUEDRAOGO


    EXT CED STATE SPEC

  18. Geothermal Urbana-Champaign 2.0 Spring Zoom Sessions

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign
    Geothermal on Campus

    The following text is from the February iSEE Newsletter, which is attached below.

     

    Geothermal Urbana-Champaign 2.0 Starts Feb. 23. Geothermal Urbana-Champaign is a public education and group buy program that makes getting geothermal heating and cooling easier and more affordable for Champaign, Piatt, and Vermilion County home and business owners. Register for a spring Zoom session to learn more! Spring dates include Feb. 23, March 29, April 12 (co-hosted by iSEE and F&S), May 2, and May 23 (times vary). Details>>>

    Attached Files: 

Pages