32 Key Recommendations There is no viable pathway to decarbonizing MIT’s campus without developing a geoexchange district heating system. Carbon capture and low-carbon fuels (e.g., electrolytic hydrogen and renewable natural gas), while exciting areas for innovation, are not mature or cost-effective enough to be relied on to achieve MIT’s decarbonization goals. We recommend that MIT study the choice between hot/chilled water versus an ambient loop district system with an open mind. Experience from other university campuses shows that either option will be disruptive. Yet, bold and decisive near-term action is needed to reach our goal. In the immediate term, MIT should drill a test bore to determine the thermal properties of the ground beneath campus and develop a scenario-based 8760 model for MIT’s heating and cooling needs to calculate expected supplementary heating needs. The figure below identifies a possible path for building conversion in six phases for either scenario, to proceed over a 25-year period (starting with buildings that circulate medium temperature hot water). Additional borefields and distribution piping can be added as buildings are upgraded to run at lower temperature water. Figure 9 Possible pathway for building conversion in six phases, to proceed over a 25-year period. Inclined borehole field mapping provided by Tunca Alikaya and Celsius Energy
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA2MzQ5MA==