Towson University is turning its front yard into a HVAC system

Towson University is converting its front yard into a massive geothermal heating and cooling system in what is one of the biggest projects of its kind for a Maryland college.

The grassy lawn facing York Road has been encircled with black-clad, chain-link fencing so workers can dig 98 wells 850 feet below ground and connect them with pipes.

Eventually the $9 million system will reduce by up to 90 percent the electricity needed to heat and cool a 200,000-square-foot building now being renovated.

“This cutting-edge work represents a significant step forward in TU’s commitment to sustainability,” the university said in a statement.

When the work is completed, the field in front of Stephens Hall will be restored to its prior appearance, likely early next year, said Jamie Abell, assistant director of media relations at the university. In the meantime, motorists passing on York Road will have their view of the historic hall, which was modeled on an English manor house, partially blocked.

In budget documents prepared for lawmakers, Towson University said the system will save money and help meet state mandates to reduce emissions.

The project is part of a $166.7 million renovation of Smith Hall, which was built in 1965 but was mothballed by the science department’s move to a new science complex. The hall is being refitted to house the university’s mass communication and electronic media and film departments.

Geothermal systems tap into the stable temperatures found below ground. Heat pumps circulate fluid through pipes in the ground, which absorbs excess heat when above-ground temperatures are high and warms the fluid on cold days.

The technology for geothermal systems holds promise for both residential and commercial applications, said Benjamin Hobbs, a professor of environmental management at Johns Hopkins University.

But systems like the one Towson is installing are costly to build. They also limit future uses of the property they are built under, he says. It’s a big piece of real estate to heat and cool one building.

“If the state really wants to decarbonize,” Hobbs said, “it’s certainly a sensible direction to go.”

Geothermal technology of the type Towson is using is a small but growing source of heating and cooling in the United States, according to the International District Energy Association. So-called “direct-use” geothermal systems meet about 0.1 percent of the nation’s thermal demand but could theoretically do much more. 

College campuses have been early adopters of the technology. Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for example, began heating and cooling buildings on campus in 2012. Its system consists of 3,600 borehole fields around campus, linked with more than 1,000 miles of geothermal piping, according to the university’s website.  

In Maryland, the University of Maryland Baltimore broke ground last year on a 127,000 square-foot building to house its school of social work downtown. It will make use of 42 geothermal exchange wells, among other emission-free sources of energy, according to the school.

St. John’s College in Annapolis already uses a geothermal system to heat and cool two residential buildings. It is fed by more than 100 wells located 300 feet beneath a soccer field and near some tennis courts.

Loyola University in Baltimore uses a geothermal system under a parking lot to heat and cool a residence hall.