Meeting Minutes for iWG March, 2019
iCAP Working Group Meeting Notes from March, 2019.
Search tips:
iCAP Working Group Meeting Notes from March, 2019.
We are planning to start the thermal response test (TRT) on Monday. – Andy
RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the Februrary 2019 Buyer's Share amounts by hour, totaling 2419.6 Megawatt hours. See the attached file.
From: Stumpf, Andrew J
Sent: Friday, March 1, 2019 4:20 PM
To: Erickson, Keith R; White, Morgan
Subject: Geothermal project at the Woody Perennial Polyculture site for new greenhouse and existing Greenhouse 1506 Building
Hi Keith,
In getting an initial estimate for the design and build of a geothermal system for a new and existing greenhouse at the Woody Perennial Polyculture site we are being asked to what extent the electrical system will need to be modified/upgraded. Does it require utilizing the existing infrastructure and extending the current line to an utility shed, or will there be further modifications needed to the electrical system.
We have been advised so a far that the heated greenhouse would need up to 5 heat pumps, which would be located in the shed. Another heat pump would be installed in Greenhouse 1506 building, to be used just for summer cooling. Overall, the proposed geothermal borefield would provide 2-tons of heating and cooling.
Currently, both greenhouse have propane heaters, and the 1506 building has a evaporative cooler on the west wall. Since we could not get a design and build of the geothermal system done in the summer/fall, Dr. DoKyoung Lee installed the propane heater that came with the new greenhouse he purchased in early last year. We introduced the idea of building the geothermal system after he had purchased the greenhouse.
If you could provide us with some information about the electrical distribution system at the site, we would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Andy
Andrew Stumpf, Ph.D, LG, P.Geo
Associate Geologist
Illinois State Geological Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Washington Post published an article on February 22, 2019, about how farmers are making the transition to solar based on current corn and soybean price drops, and the implications of that. Evan DeLucia is quoted in this article.
See attached or follow the link to read the article.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-next-money-crop-for-...
We plan to start the DTRT test next Thursday (Feb 28, 2019). We will be circulating heated water through the loop for 72 hrs, then turn off the water and measure the subsurface temperatures with the DTS system for roughly a week.
F&S provided the attached letter of support for the Curtis Road railroad track grade separation project, and promising to use Solar Farm 2.0 power for the associated street lights.
This student-led project will involve the design, construction, and installation of an energy geo-structure for heating the UIUC Energy Farm, located near the southeast corner of Race Street and Curtis Road on the South Farms. This project has great potential in exploring and utilizing geothermal energy, a renewable energy alternative to fossil fuels. An energy shaft is a new technology designed to access the shallow geothermal energy (relatively constant ground temperature in the upper 30 m of the subsurface). The objective of the project is to determine the feasibility of using drilled shafts that are already being used to support structures on campus also as a geothermal heat-exchange element. Geothermal heat exchangers (closed absorber pipes) can be incorporated into underground infrastructure, e.g., drilled shafts, through which water is circulated to withdraw shallow geothermal heat (~55 °F) and transport it to the surface for structure heating or cooling.
These are the meeting minutes from February 7, 2019.
$230,000 of funding from the Carbon Credit Sales Fund was approved for Energy Piles at Hydro-Systems Lab by Evan DeLucia and Mohamed Attalla
Purpose of Project:
"This project will install 8 energy piles in the foundation of the Hydro-Systems Lab on campus, and provide new research capabilities and a geothermal exchange system for reduction of energy demand from that building." -Morgan White (2/6/19)
An email of the approval is linked below.
RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the January 2019 Buyer's Share amounts by hour, totaling 2706.7 Megawatt hours. See the attached file.
The Gable Home was designed and built by students to compete in the 2009 US Dept. of Energy's Solar Decathlon Competition. Following the competition, the house returned to campus and was located at the I Hotel until Spring 2017 at which point it had to be moved due to the expansion of the research park. Since then a team of students and faculty have been working on finding a new permanent location for the Gable Home. A suitable location was found at the Energy Farm on Race St. in Urbana. The house is a valuable educational tool for students from many units on campus to visit and experience occupying a space that is powered solely by the sun and uses passive and active systems to create desirable thermal comfort throughout the year. This SSC grant provides support for the installation costs to make Gable Home a permanent fixture at the Energy Farm, so it meets building codes.
RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the December 2018 Buyer's Share amounts by hour, totaling 2415 Megawatt hours. See the attached file.
Hi everyone,
I can report today that the fiber-optic cable is intact and the test returned a signal along the entire 235 m cable. What you see in the photograph is data along the cable going down and coming back up (470 m total).
We have ordered the drop box to store the fiber-optic cable, and a hole has been dug for it. The box will be installed by F&S after the holidays. The fencing is being left around the site until this is done.
Wishing you all the best this holiday season.
Andy
Hi Everyone, We successfully installed the geothermal loop and fiber optic cable today. The borehole is now grouted closed. My appreciation goes out to the group of colleagues and staff from the ISGS that assisted the drill crew to insert the 400-feet of tubing in the ground.
The drill crew will be back in the morning to clean up the site and move equipment offsite. We still need to install a drop box to store the fiber-optic cable and access the geothermal loop. The box has been ordered and if it arrives in the morning, we may be able to get it installed before the holidays. In about a month we will start measuring the ground temperature and run a DTRT test once the grout cures.
Happy Holidays!!
Andrew
Hi everyone, We had a successful day of collecting geophysical logs in the borehole. I have seen print outs of this excellent data, and is an important part of the geologic characterization. Thanks goes out to Tim Young for coming out of retirement to help us complete the work.
Tomorrow we will install the U-bend and fiber-optic cable in the borehole. Our task is to sink a 400-foot log tube filled with water (weighing ~600 lbs) down the hole. For those nearby you may want to drop by for a visit. Once this is done, we will proceed to grout the borehole closed.
Cheers,
Andy
Hi everyone,
We finished drilling today and advanced the borehole to a depth of 385 feet.
Tomorrow we will collect geophysical logs of the borehole. If you want to drop by we should be in full swing by 11 am. It will take some time to clean out any material that has collapsed in the borehole overnight and make sure the hole is full of mud before logging the open hole.
Best,
Andy
The BIF project was initially scheduled to begin in January 2018, but was on hold until F&S and the College received word from the state regarding the general contractor award. The kickoff meeting took place in March 2018 and a planning meeting followed in April.
On Monday, May 21st, construction kicked off and is expected to be complete summer 2019. Thus far, the following work has been completed (64% complete): removal of rooftop garden; insallation of steel, metal, and concrete decking; roof membrane installed; installation of roof drain lines; installation of exterior and interior walls; window and ductwork installation; HVAC updates/upgrades; above ceiling mechanicals and sprinkler lines installed; GWB taping and sanding with painting underway.