The UIUC campus would be a demonstration site for a new geothermal energy technology that taps waste heat from underground infrastructure to heat adjacent buildings. This modular, scalable and easy-to-install geothermal heat exchange panel technology developed by Enerdrape (https://enerdrape.com) would be evaluated to capture and reuse waste heat from a steam tunnel (at the Abbott Power Plant) that would be an additional source of thermal energy.

The project will be located at the Steam Tunnel at the Abbott Power Plant. We have been in communication with Mike Larson (Director of Utilities Production, Facilities, and Services (F&S), who has given us permission for the installation of the geothermal panels and the safety parameters that need to be considered during installation and implementation.

The partnership between F&S and Enerdrape in this demonstration holds great potential. If successful, this technology could be used to mitigate the release of waste heat from other steam tunnels across campus. This collaboration allows F&S to leverage performance data being collected by Enerdrape, potentially leading to future contracts. For Enerdrape, this is an opportunity to further test the technology under real-world conditions and gain exposure in the marketplace.