Please see attached photos from the Energy Farm. These photos show approximately 1 month old plants which are growing under the array as part of agrivoltaic research. During the 2024 season, tomatoes and kale are being tested. Future plantings will include more consumer crops like carrots.
Please see the included link to the live dashboard of the Energy Farms Agrivoltaic Solar Array. This link also includes data for the Geothermal and traditional HVAC at the farm.
Illinois Solar Decathlon President Rachel Chen met with Marty Smith to discuss the possibility of having the current next solar decathlon home built at the hope village project. Marty discussed possibilities for a separated subdivision of homes. But the more likely option would be to construct a library or community building than a single family home. Either of these options would be more likely during the next building cycle for solar decathlon.
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.
There are a few examples of clean thermal energy in use on campus at this time. These include:
We could expand these types of energy systems...
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.
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
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
On October 4th, the Land and Water iCAP team met to make final edits on the Campus Sustainability Celebration slides, review the Campus Landscape Master Plan, and discuss regenerative agriculture research on the South Farms.
Meeting minutes are attached.
Below is an email invitation to an event at the Hydrosystems Laboratory:
Hello all,
On behalf of Illinois Solar Decathlon, I would like to invite you to our event, Reimagining HSL and NCEB, where our Concept Team will be presenting their semester-long projects to UofI Facilities and Services. Feel free to invite other faculty as well. More details below.
Title of the event: Reimagining HSL & NCEB
Venue: Hydrosystems laboratory, Room 1017
Time : Monday, 25th from 5:00 pm
Everyone is invited.
Schedule
5:05 - 5:25 PM: Photovoltaics and Green Roof Team
5:25 - 5: 45 PM: Building Automation Systems Team
5:45- 6:05 PM: Sustainable Landscapes Team
*15 mins for each team's presentation and 5 mins for Q&A*
We hope to see you there!
SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for CornCrete project on 02/01/2022. Please see attached.
SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for Geothermal Exchange for greenhouses at UIUC Energy Farm on 01/29/22. Please see attached.
SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for Geothermal Exchange for greenhouses at UIUC Energy Farm on 01/29/22. Please see attached.
What do giant grasses, micro grids, deep wells, and hydrogen-powered buses all have in common? They are all part of a clean energy future that is being imagined, created, and tested here at UIUC. The breadth of our energy research portfolio, across all of the campus and the broader C-U community, is truly impressive. Here are just a few examples:
Solar Farm 2.0 will soon be home to a newly awarded, $10M project led by Madhu Khanna to optimize the design of "Agrivoltaics," or fields with both crops and solar panels to maintain crop production, produce renewable energy, and increase farm profitability. A few miles to the east, the Energy Farm boasts extensive test plots to study how to grow and use plants as biofuel. The farm is using a biomass boiler to replace propane as the fuel source for its main research greenhouse. The Energy Farm is also home to one of dozens of geothermal wells on campus that are helping scientists like Yu-Feng Lin develop better geothermal systems, while on the north side of campus, the new Campus Instructional Facility is heated and cooled with a state-of-the art geothermal system. Nuclear power is expected to play an important role in meeting our campus ICAP goals, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission hosted a hearing last week to seek input on our plans to site a next-generation, micronuclear reactor near the Abbott Power Plant. Integrating renewable energy sources into the power grid presents unique challenges, and Illinois power system researchers, including Alejandro Domínguez-García, are working to develop microgrid technology to address issues of reliability and resilience. Meanwhile, researchers such as Petros Sofronis are working on a bold new vision for national leadership in the emerging hydrogen economy. (It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the CUMTD just launched two hydrogen-powered, zero-emission buses—the first in the state!)
There is only one way I can wrap up a message about our campus energy research: The future looks bright, indeed!
Sincerely,
Susan
SSC received semester report for Spring 2021 for CornCrete on 9/24/21. Please see attached.
SSC received final report on Spring 2021 for Re_home Rehab project on 9/9/2021. Please see attached.
SSC received a semesterly report for Spring 2021 for the Let it Flow project on 9/12/2021. Please see attached.
From: Majerus, Elizabeth
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2021 12:25 PM
To: White, Morgan
Cc: Gharpure, Prajakta Milind; Kovitz, Kyle Paige; Low, Khee; Davis, Peter ; Collins, Halie Jean; Kroencke, Janet Lynn
Subject: Re: Following up with Solar Decathalon Design Team
Hi Prajakta, Peter, Khee, and Kyle,
I really loved the work you did on envisioning an energy efficient retorfit and addtion for Uni High's beautiful historic building. Uni will be moving forward in the next five years with a fundraising plan for an expansion and update of our building, and we'd love to be able to consult with some or all of you as we lay that groundwork.
Halie, we'd also love to have any current ISD students/staff involved, if there's interest. I'm also CCing our Director of Advancement, Janet Kroenke, who will be in the lead of the fundraising efforts that will make our future building update possible.
Please let me know if you'd like to be part of a conversation about drawing on the Uni High Solar Decathalon Design project for our future planning.
Take care,
Elizabeth
___________________
Elizabeth Majerus, Ph.D.
[She/her]
University Laboratory High School
Provost/VCAA Admin
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
From: White, Morgan
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2021 10:00 AM
To: Majerus, Elizabeth
Cc: Gharpure, Prajakta Milind; Kovitz, Kyle Paige; Low, Khee; Davis, Peter; Collins, Halie Jean
Subject: RE: Following up with Solar Decathalon Design Team
Hi Elizabeth!
This is great to hear. And congratulations on being named the Director.
I’m copying all the students you named, and the current ISD lead, Halie Collins. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with!
Thanks,
Morgan
======================================
MORGAN B. WHITE
Associate Director of F&S for Sustainability
Facilities & Services | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1501 S Oak Street (MC-800) | Champaign, IL 61820
fs.illinois.edu/services/sustainability
From: Majerus, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2021 12:06 PM
To: White, Morgan
Subject: Following up with Solar Decathalon Design Team
Hi Morgan,
I'm interested in following up on the wonderful Solar Decathalon project that the student design team presented on in May 2020. This was something that I had hoped to do during the 2020-21 school year, but the pandemic really shifted my expectations and task list.
I wondered if you might have contact information for any of the students who worked on the Uni project. Prajakta Gharpure, Khee Kim Low, Peter Davis, Kyle Kovitz were the students who presented that day.
We are hoping to stay in our present Uni building, and ideas like those that these students shared are an inspiration for what might be possible in terms of the greater space and updated infrastructure we'll need to sustain our school.
Thanks for any help you can offer on this.
Take care,
Elizabeth
The SSC approved $700 in funding for this project at Illinois in Fall 2020. This project expires 12/16/2022.
In April 2017 three faculty members received $14,522 from the University Research Board to conduct preliminary investigations surrounding crop residue as a building material at both small and large scale. The results of those initial investigations proved very positive. This project primarily strives to turn corn stalks into a building project. Students will support Dr. Mark Taylor throughout the project, giving students research and professional development opportunities. The Student Sustainability Committee provided $47,000 in December 2017 to support the design and construction of a small mobile field station using agricultural waste. Upon completion, researchers and students will have a better understanding on how agricultural waste materials perform as a building material that can get used at a larger scale. Moreover, the campus will have a mobile field station that uses corn stock insulation.
The Spring 2021 iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ) highlighted a diverse array of campus initiatives that made this year's Earth Month one to remember. Ranging from hosted events to sustainable energy, the article discusses the launch of the "TED Talk: Eco Edition" series, Solar Farm 2.0, community trash pickup, and more!
Read the article in the attached files below.
