This article was originally published in the November 2023 print edition.
A year and a half after breaking ground on the Geothermal energy project, Smith is continuing construction at sites around campus, moving towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The project, which began in 2022, aims to drastically reduce Smith’s carbon emissions by 90% and is on track to be completed by 2028.
The project is expected to cost around $210 million and will be funded in three phases over six years. According to Beth Hooker, Director of Sustainability and Administrative Director of the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability (CEEDS), 90% of Smith’s carbon emissions come from heating and cooling the buildings, an operation which uses fossil fuels. The geothermal energy project will cut those emissions by heating and cooling the buildings with renewable, geothermal energy.
Heat is constantly being produced inside the Earth’s core as radioactive particles decay, and geothermal energy harnesses this heat to convert it to usable energy. Geothermal energy requires wells to be drilled into Earth’s surface in order to tap into reservoirs of hot water, which exist naturally, but can also be man-made, according to energy.gov. The heat is brought to the surface to energy pumps where it is converted into usable energy. This process is renewable, as the Earth is constantly producing heat, and it emits no greenhouse gasses.
“In 1947, the college made a crucial decision to centralize the campus energy system, [transitioning] from individual coal or wood-fired boilers to a centralized, fossil fuel powered boiler plant. [This system] has been in place for more than 70 years, distributing steam across the campus through a closed-loop distribution system,” said Hooker in an email.
The geothermal project will replace the campus-wide steam heating system that burns fossil fuels with electrically powered geothermal systems. The campus is divided into three districts, each of which will have a geofield that will move hot and cold energy out of the ground to be sent to a heat pump energy center before it is distributed to individual buildings. The North District’s geofield is located on the lawn adjacent to the Davis Center and it includes 72 holes to a depth of about 800 feet. It is on track to be fully operational by next winter. The Quad will be under construction from May 2023 to October 2025 and Central Campus from May 2025 to May 2028, when the project will come to a close.
Many students have noticed the construction sites around campus. Sofia Jurusz ’27 said, “It’s a little bit annoying to have to walk around [geothermal construction sites], but the geothermal energy is definitely worth the inconvenience.” Jurusz also believes the college is doing a good job of keeping students informed about the project through regular emails.
Ally Knutson ’27 echoed these sentiments. “There’s a lot of construction on campus,” she said. “I know that it will be really good in the long run, but it’s annoying to walk by everyday.”
While carbon neutrality is the main goal, the Geothermal Energy Project will also improve air quality and will reduce the college’s water consumption by 10%. Students will also enjoy more consistent heating and cooling in buildings around campus.
“It will improve reliability and, importantly, it will improve comfort,” said Hooker. “Heating will be much more even, and air conditioning will be added to more than 20 buildings across campus.”
Since The Sophian’s previous article on the geothermal Energy Project in Oct. 2022, the project has continued to make significant headway and remains on target to be completed by 2028. The project will completely transform Smith’s energy landscape, helping to eliminate 20,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
