Developers of a business district near Hayden, Colorado, have an underground incentive to lure potential companies to the area.
The Northwest Colorado Business District is tapping sustainable geothermal energy to provide cost-effective heating and cooling for enterprises that move into the planned 117.1-acre project, according to Inside Climate News and Hayden officials.
“Our energy future is happening right now — right here in Hayden,” Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a statement published by ICN.
Geothermal energy taps steady temperatures under Earth’s surface that can be used to heat and cool buildings, depending on the season. For some, mile-deep holes provide steam-inducing heat that can even be used to power electricity generators, according to the Energy Information Administration. The Department of Energy added that the United States leads the world in geothermal electricity, making enough to power three million homes.
In Hayden, Texas-based Bedrock Energy will be using drilling tricks learned from the oil and gas industry to bore dozens of holes 1,000 feet into the crust. Temperatures in the shallower boreholes range from 51 degrees Fahrenheit to 64 degrees near the bottom. Pipes will funnel the steady thermal energy to buildings in the industrial park, where heat pumps will help with temperature management, all according to ICN.
The cleaner-energy project is important for Hayden’s 2,000 residents on multiple fronts. The town’s coal-fired power plant is scheduled to shut down, representing lost jobs and tax revenue. But officials hope to fill the void with new businesses leveraging the cleaner geothermal opportunity that can provide reliable, cheaper indoor climate control. The plan also aligns with the state’s environmental goals, unlocking certain funding streams to make it all possible. About $600,000 in Colorado grants were secured for the project, ICN reported.
Better yet, it all comes without heat-trapping air pollution that is fumed by dirty fuels, linked by NASA to greater risks for extreme temperatures that are already setting records. Experts fear some places may even become uninhabitable. The overheating is even life-threatening in some places.
“We’re creating the infrastructure to attract employers, support local jobs, and give our community reliable, cost-effective heating and cooling for decades to come,” town manager Mathew Mendisco said in ICN’s story.
Officials in the report added that geothermal will protect the businesses from high energy costs incurred by fossil fuels in Colorado’s often extreme weather. The system will be owned by the town, and businesses will be connected to the larger network as the district grows, according to the story.
Geothermal is going deeper elsewhere. Massachusetts’ Quaise Energy intends to drill 12 miles into the ground to tap an energy source with a million-year lifespan. Nigerian officials are also eyeing underground heat to relieve their unreliable power grid.
At home, air source heat pumps are a way to upgrade your HVAC system without digging in the ground. There are a variety of systems, and experts at Mitsubishi can help you find the right one, as well as an installer from its trusted network. Fast action can secure tax breaks worth up to $2,000 that expire at the end of the year due to federal policy changes.
ICN reported that more projects like the one in Hayden are being considered or developed across Colorado and the country, with utility companies being a unique developer that can take on the costs and generate revenue through ratepayer fees.
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