Zhenhua Zhang (1) Jenny Nicolas (2) Shiny Choudhury (1)
(1) Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
(2) Materials Science and Engineering
University of California San Diego
Seminar Information
Engineering Building Unit 2 (EBU2)
Room 479
Seminar Recording Available: Please contact seminar coordinator, Jake Blair at (j1blair@ucsd.edu)
Geothermal energy offers a low-carbon solution to heat and electricity, while recent federal policy shifts have cast uncertainty on its deployment. In this study, we work with Cascade, a rural town in Idaho, as a case study to examine the technical-economic feasibility of a geothermal district heating and cooling system and the implications of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Our proposed Cascade Project integrates three geothermal wells for district heating, meeting an 8.6 GWh annual energy demand for over 2,800 residents. We conduct a detailed financial and permitting analysis to show the limitations of policy incentives and the importance of local resident support. Lastly, we show how the recent IRA funding freezing could impact the energy transition of rural communities in the U.S.
All three speakers were a part of the winning team for the 2023 USAEE Case Competition and runner-up for the 2023 DOE/NREL Geothermal Challenge.
Zhenhua Zhang is a PhD student in the MAE department, advised by Professor Michael Davidson. His research focuses on power system planning and electricity market designs to accommodate emerging clean technologies.
Jenny Nicolas is a PhD student in the Materials Science and Engineering program at UC San Diego, co-advised by Professor Ping Liu and Professor Michael Davidson. Her research focuses on lithium metal batteries and factors affecting solar deployment.
Shiny Choudhury is a PhD student in the MAE Department at UC San Diego, where she is co-advised by Professor George Tynan and Professor Michael Davidson. Her research focuses on understanding the potential of advanced fission and fusion reactors in highly decarbonized grids.