Heat Without Fire: Deep Geothermal in the Northeastern U.S.

Geothermal is not something often considered in the Northeast due to the depth required to find heat. We, as a society, face the challenges of weaning off of fossil fuels and switching to sources that do not add greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Electricity production from alternative energy sources, like wind and solar power can help, but what can be done to replace over 30% of New York State’s energy consumption that is used to heat our homes and offices? Cornell University researchers and staff may have that answer. They are exploring how the heat deep below our feet – geothermal energy – can fill this need anywhere, using Cornell’s Ithaca campus as a demonstration site.

Join the discussion on how a 10,000 foot deep geothermal observation borehole was installed at Cornell over the summer of 2022, what this means for reducing fossil fuel energy for the University, and how the approach might be applied to energy transitions nationally.