Geothermal energy could save Hunts Point millions: study
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Hunts Point is poised to
embrace an effi cient energy
system that could save over
$6 million per year…courtesy
of Mother Nature.
Installing a geothermal
system in Hunts Point
would leverage the energy
absorbing capacity of the
earth, bringing significant
economic impact to
the area while slashing
greenhouse gas rates in the
process, according to a recently
published report by
the NYC Economic Development
Corporation and
the research non-profit
Urban Land Institute New
York.
“New York City hinges
on the viability and reliability
of the Hunts Point
Food Distribution Center,
a network of distribution
businesses located on the
Hunts Point Peninsula in
the Bronx that handles
4.5 billion pounds of food
fl ow each year,” the Hurricane
Sandy- inspired study
stated as the reason for the
proposed project’s signifi -
cance.
ULI began surveying the
mostly industrial area in
March, fi nding that the geothermal
system might “also
assist in aligning residents
and businesses around the
shared benefi ts of improved
energy infrastructure and
green infrastructure in
Hunts Point.”
Hunts Point Landing is
the key in taking this concept
from an idea to a more
practical phase. To do so,
the agencies would need to:
locate a pumping station
at the peninsula’s edge, expand
Hunts Point Landing
Park, while subsequently
creating a signature building
to house the pumping
station, utilizing the existing
24-foot underwater
box culvert at Hunts Point
Landing for a point of entry,
then analyze the depths
of the East River channel
A diagram of Hunts Point from the geothermal study. NYCEDC
for the project’s pipeline,
and last but not least, lay
the foundation of the geothermal
delivery system
down Hunts Point Avenue
to serve as the ‘tree’ from
which energy can branch to
serve the meat market, fi sh
market, produce market,
residential core and even
beyond that, the study indicates.
Once those few minor
details are completed, the
system would use the heat
the earth releases to warm
indoor air during the cold
winter months and remove
heat during the hot summer
months, particularly
in the market.
Out of the three markets
in the distribution center,
the meat market siphons
off a majority of the entire
complex’s energy, the study
indicates.
“Many discussions centered
around how to make
Hunts Point a healthier
environment, particularly
given that the neighborhood
has one of the highest
asthma rates in the region,”
according to the study.
Common goals for that
include: improving air
quality; reducing emissions,
particularly from
the diesel trucks idling in
the produce market year
round for days at a time,
providing and protecting
access to the water, specifi
cally to the Bronx and
East rivers; promoting a
healthy environment. public
processes; and making
visible the benefi ts to the
community.
Currently, the distribution
center exerts roughly
11.3 megawatts of power
and is projected to grow up
to 24 megawatts in future
years.
If the geothermal system
is installed, “NYC
EDC and the food distribution
center would no longer
need to tap the market
to purchase more energy,
likely resulting in a significant
avoidance of future
energy purchases.”
A similar-sized installation
in Alaska footed an $80
million bill and took fi ve
years to complete construction,
the study showed.
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