UC Berkeley drilled a 400-foot-deep borehole on the north side of campus to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a geothermal heat pump system as part of its campus-wide decarbonization strategy. The project supports the university’s Clean Energy Campus Initiative, which aims to replace an aging natural gas cogeneration plant with a fully electrified heating and cooling system powered by clean energy sources. The borehole provides critical geological and thermal data needed to determine whether geothermal technologies can improve campus energy efficiency and support carbon-free heating and cooling operations.
Key Findings
Key Metrics
Challenge/Opportunity
UC Berkeley’s existing cogeneration plant was nearing the end of its useful life and relied on natural gas for campus heating and power generation. The university sought alternatives that could support its goal of transitioning to 100% clean energy for heating and cooling while maintaining reliable campus-scale thermal infrastructure. A key challenge was determining whether local subsurface conditions could support a district-scale geothermal heat pump system.
Solution
The university initiated a geothermal investigation by drilling the deepest borehole ever constructed on campus (400 feet). Engineers and researchers collected geological, thermal, and subsurface data to assess the viability of ground-source heat pump technology. The findings would inform the design of a future low-carbon district heating and cooling system capable of storing thermal energy underground and reducing overall campus energy consumption.
Quotes & Testimonials
“UC Berkeley drilled the deepest borehole ever constructed on campus—400 feet—to evaluate geothermal heating and cooling potential.”
