The project has secured investment funding, and the team is conducting a building stock analysis to gather important building and energy use data. The goal is to reduce building loads and minimize the scale and scope of the networked system. By serving multiple buildings, it is anticipated that the total system heating and cooling peak loads can be lower compared to individual building systems.
Various strategies, such as in-building heat recovery, load diversity, and alternative thermal sources, will be employed to satisfy the remaining load beyond the thermal energy capacity of the system. The project also aims to explore the use of solar PVT canopies over surface parking lots to provide additional heat and to leverage surface parking areas as Renewable Energy Parking Lots.
Ithaca Southside District Geothermal Study
Taitem Engineering, in collaboration with the Grey Edge Group, Aztech Geothermal, and LaBella Associates, supported by community groups including Environmental Justice organizations, conducted a NYSERDA-funded feasibility study for the implementation of a community-scale geothermal heat pump system. This project is part of the city's Green New Deal initiative aimed at transitioning the entire city to renewable energy.
The proposed site spans 46 acres along NY Route 13 and includes various types of buildings, such as LMI single-family homes, mixed-use blocks, apartment complexes, public housing buildings, and a shopping mall, totaling approximately 600,000 SF of conditioned space. The study explores the potential for future phases to link more commercial properties to provide heating and cooling to nearby residential areas through a central ambient temperature loop (ATP).