From the ground up: Indian River increasing its use of geothermal energy for heat – WatertownDailyTimes.com

'); //-->

The Indian River Central School District in Philadelphia will include another one of its facilities in its efforts to make use of green energy sources.

The intermediate school has benefited from geothermal power since its construction in 2002. It also hosts the districts solar panel array, which was completed in October. Theresa Primary School deployed its geothermal system in 2002, and Calcium Primary has obtained about half its power from this clean energy source since 2010.

Officials now plan to convert the high schools heating system from fuel to geothermal energy. Business Administrator Joseph A. Dougherty said the district anticipates using the funds now directed toward fuel oil to cover any increased energy expenses, according to a story published March 25 by the Watertown Daily Times. These costs total about $250,000, budget records indicate.

Geothermal power involves heating and cooling water underground and then using that water to either heat or cool the air, according to the story. The steam is also sometimes used to power electricity.

Noah A. Prior Jr., facilities director for the district, said the high school already is partially powered by geothermal energy. Whats now necessary is to remove the conventional heating system and install the pipes for the geothermal network. The remaining 140 wells have been placed nearly 500 feet into the ground.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority previously reviewed the intermediate schools energy costs to evaluate the networks effectiveness. Mr. Prior said that NYSERDA determined the districts geothermal system was 99 percent more efficient than the conventional method. Indian River has partnered with NYSERDA on these capital improvements.

Continuing to move in this direction demonstrates the forward thinking of district officials. They have incrementally enhanced their power sources to make better use of green energy. This serves as an example of how well-planned strategies to embrace environmentally friendly technology can be executed by public entities, and we commend the district on achieving its goals.

See the rest here:
From the ground up: Indian River increasing its use of geothermal energy for heat - WatertownDailyTimes.com