Cornell is exploring using deep geothermal energy to heat Cornell’s campus through the creation of the Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO). Located near Palm Road–which is by the Veterinary School–the two-mile deep observatory began drilling on June 21st, 2022, and finished months later on August 13th. The project’s launch is thanks to a $7.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. It is considered a blueprint for further geothermal energy project applications across the U.S. and an important step towards Cornell’s commitment towards reaching carbon neutrality by 2035.
Overseen by Facilities and Campus Services with the collaboration of university faculty, geothermal consultations and more, the drilling of CUBO reached 9,790 feet below the surface. CUBO’s will study the “temperature, permeability and other characteristics of the rock deep beneath the Ithaca campus.” Dean of Engineering and Co-Chair of Cornell’s Sustainable Campus Committee’s Lynden Archer expressed what specifically they hoped to find. “We needed to determine whether the heat output, permeability, and mechanics of the rock below Ithaca were conducive to creating an accessible reservoir of geothermal energy, a reservoir that could be used to provide a carbon-free source of baseload thermal energy to reliably heat the Ithaca campus.”
The preliminary data confirm the findings for the quality of geothermal resources in the range of 7,500 to 10,000 feet—rock temperatures being between 75 and 100 degrees Celsius and generally low permeability. Archer went on to say that the project could have important implications for “creating a new, scalable energy source capable of sustainably meeting complex heating needs in cold climate regions across the world”.
In regards to how the location of CUBO was chosen, geologist Ole Gustafson explained the process.
“We did a survey of available land near campus that might be a suitable place to set up a major drilling operation like this. And this site emerged as the most suitable location… We needed something that was several acres in size to be able to bring in all the components of the drill rig and the supporting equipment that goes with it”
Cornell focused on minimizing “adverse impacts” and ensuring a convenient location, according to Gustafson. The site is placed in an area served by the campus electrical grid —as Cornell generates all of its own electricity for campus. The placement allowed the use of direct power from the grid instead of the diesel generators that usually power drilling projects.
When asked about waste, Gustafon explained that it is a common inquiry with the project. “People often think about or ask about water usage. It was quite minimal for this project, and water was supplied from our campus utility water supply.” A high priority was placed on “ensur[ing] that [Cornell]minimized any environmental impacts,” and that contractors doing the work “followed robust procedures to protect the environment.”
“We did quite a bit of monitoring just to make sure that that was the case,” maintained Gustafon.
Many involved in the project were concerned about earthquakes slowing progress. Professor Geoff Abers explained that seismic monitoring was done in conjunction with CUBO’s drilling. In 2019, researchers probed the projected area around CUBO and around Ithaca to “get a sense of what the background earthquake activity is in the area.” This has traditionally “not been done before.”
The researchers have not found anything to suggest CUBO affecting the “stresses and strengths of the rocks in large areas around the well itself”.
Jefferson Tester, Professor of the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a Croll Sesquicentennial Fellow, expands on the CUBO project’s impact on the rest of the country. He points to a 2018 graphic comparing the U.S. Heat vs. Electricity Consumption in Residential and Commercial Sectors.
“The map that we show here gives you a rough idea of the sort of northern tier of the country. There’s a significant amount of heat consumption that goes on. And if you actually look at where the heat comes from, it’s essentially—almost all of it—comes from combustion-based processes that involves natural gas, to some extent oil in the Northeast as we have here and remotely sometimes propane.”
Tester added that if the nation is intending to fully transition into a no-carbon or low-carbon future, “district heating” will have to be constructed and Cornell represents a “logical place” to carry out the first demonstration.
Emphasizing that the project represents a collaborative experience for everyone working on it, Tester said that “although it’s an exploration well in one sense for geothermal, it really is a laboratory. And regardless of what happens, it will always be there as a place where we can train students, we can involve faculty, we can do some things that wouldn’t be possible at a normal site that’s being used for industrial purposes or for heating. So that represents the ability to carry on a monitoring function as well as a de-risking function as we go forward with what we’re trying to do.”
In conclusion, Tester stressed that CUBO is distinctly different from any other previous geothermal energy project.
“Geothermal is not a short-term proposition. It’s a long-term commitment. And you have to make sure that you’re sustainable for the long term by extracting or removing this heat. They’re able to do that in Iceland. In addition, they can generate a fair fraction of their electric power. They have one other resource that we have in this country but nowhere near as much in terms of per capita use, which is hydropower. We have a little hydropower here at Cornell. This is obviously an energy system approach, but it will not solve our entire electricity needs for what we have. We have about a 30-megawatt or so electric load.”
This article was originally published in the Cornell Review’s semesterly print edition: Semester in Review.
