Plan includes digging 57 wells underneath soccer pitch
In an effort to reduce its carbon output, the University has adopted a plan to use geothermal technology to heat the campus and replace its ancient and inefficient steam heating system.
The plan, outlined at last Friday’s meeting of the school’s governing board, entails abandoning steam, which has been in use since the University was built in 1843, but which now leaks energy.
The new proposal is to dig fifty-seven geothermal wells beneath the soccer field on the east side of the campus (behind the Plex). The wells will be the beginning and end point for an “energy loop,” which will carry the heat from the pitch to all buildings on campus, with surplus energy returning to the wells.
The loop would also allow for new outlets, meaning that any new buildings on the campus could easily be added to the geothermal system.
One well has already been dug, with successful tests being carried out, according to Joe Singerman, chair of the Corporation’s Building Committee. Singerman said that sustained temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius were recorded at the well’s maximum depth of 500 feet.
The wells will not be visible above ground, although their construction will put the field out of commission for a few months.
All told, the project would reduce Bishop’s greenhouse gas output by two-thirds, including a 64% reduction in natural gas. This is equivalent to removing 1400 cars from campus.
Singerman told the Executive Committee of Corporation (Exec) that this would make Bishop’s one of the greenest universities in Quebec, and across Canada.
Furthermore, the project – which will cost the University nearly $8-million to finance – will see a return on investment within ten years, with savings beginning later this year.
One of the major savings for the University is $400 000 annually on energy costs; if it saves less than that, Ameresco has guaranteed to match the difference.
Another component of the energy project is the construction of a backup heating system, using natural gas. There is also the potential for a triple redundancy being added in the future, using propane heating.
The second key part of the energy efficiency program is a plan to completely revamp the lighting, both interior and exterior, on campus. Singerman said that this would improve the quality and safety of the lighting, while saving the school $26 000 per year.
Some concerns were raised at the Exec meeting, with Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Stevenson asking why not preserve the steam heating system as a backup, rather than construct a new one.
Singerman explained that the steam system is inefficient in terms of cost and energy, and that keeping it would be akin to ripping up dollar bills and throwing them out a window.
Additional questions were asked about geothermal technology, including whether or not it would be obsolete within ten years, and what the efficiency risks were.
Drew Leyburne, a Bishop’s alumnus who now serves as Director of Strategic Energy Policy for Natural Resources Canada, said the technology was virtually risk-free.
“It’s 3000-year-old science. It’s not nuclear fusion,” he said at the meeting.
The new project by Ameresco replaces a previous one put forward last year by Johnson Controls. The Johnson plan included installing solar panels on the roof of the Plex, but was eventually thrown out because of its exorbitant costs.
