We live just a few blocks away from the local high school, which has had some sort of massive construction project going on for a few months now. I’ve been wondering what created the giant pile of dirt to one side of the grounds, but haven’t been bothered enough to actually, you know, look it up to find out.
We got a newsletter thing this week that gets sent out to all the homes in the district, though, and the lead story (which I can’t find online) is all about the construction project, which includes for the high school:
Replace the building’s inefficient and ineffective heating system with a high efficiency geothermal system
I wouldn’t’ve thought there would be enough of a thermal gradient to do anything geothermal around here, but they’re not using it for electricity, just heating and cooling. A little poking around turns up this handy FAQ site explaining the system (it was part of the campaign to get local residents to approve the bond for the construction, so it has a particular slant, but the basic facts are there). The giant pile of dirt was cleared off the athletic fields prior to drilling the wells for the geothermal system, and will be put back after the wells are finished.
So, good for the Niskayuna school system.