WARREN, Mich. — On May 21, 2024, the Detroit Arsenal drilled down to power up with the installation of an exploratory geothermal well as part of a Federal Geothermal Partnership initiative with the Department of Energy. This collaboration provides technical assistance for geothermal energy deployment at federal sites. Detroit Arsenal is the first of two Department of Defense installations to receive technical assistance though this initiative.
In March of 2023, the DOE announced Detroit Arsenal and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York as the two installations selected for this program. This comprehensive project will provide data analysis, resource characterization, site surveys and geothermal heat pump and/or geothermal district-scale.
Led by Oakridge National Laboratory, the technical assistance team offers strong expertise in the low-temperature geothermal space and includes three other national labs: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; two universities: Oklahoma State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison; a state agency, Illinois State Geological Survey; and an industry partner, International Ground Source Heat Pump Association. The drill team was comprised of employees from Midwest Geothermal, a Michigan-based partner.
Shannon Bergt, Energy Manager at U.S. Army Garrison Detroit Arsenal, currently on special detail to U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s ID-Sustainment, is the lead on the effort at Detroit Arsenal and is excited about what this partnership means for the installation’s renewable resource and environmental mission.
“This is an incredible opportunity for the Detroit Arsenal and the Army,” she said. “This partnership will provide Detroit Arsenal access to technical experts and capabilities we would normally not have access to. The extra geotechnical analysis provided through this partnership will allow for more accurate geothermal system designs based on actual site data to optimize long-term performance. A well-designed system will allow the installation to meet and exceed current Army requirements for greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy systems, while enhancing energy resilience for 50 years or more.”
As a pilot site, Detroit Arsenal Energy Management is working with their partners to optimize this process for other DOD installations which will result in the ability to better meet energy requirements.
“Geothermal heating and cooling provides a positive path forward for installations to meet DOD greenhouse gas reduction and building electrification requirements,” she said. “Geothermal heating and cooling systems are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space conditioning systems available according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
Breaking down the numbers, geo-exchange systems can reduce energy consumption — and corresponding emissions — by more than 40% compared to air source heat pumps and by over 70% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment, according to Bergt.
“Geothermal technology provides the Detroit Arsenal long term opportunities to reduce energy consumption on not only traditional office buildings, but also research and development facilities. The geotechnical data collected by the University of Wisconsin team will inform more accurate building modeling, leading to environmentally cleaner, and more energy efficient, infrastructure projects for the future,” she said.
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