Goldman Copeland is pleased to receive a 2018 Engineering Excellence Platinum Award in the Environmental category from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York for its work on an innovative geothermal screening tool.
ACEC’s Engineering Excellence Awards—the “Academy Awards of the consulting engineering industry”—are given annually to honor member firms for design achievements of superior skill and ingenuity.
Each year, over 60 firms submit projects that are judged on a rigorous set of criteria, which includes complexity, innovation and value to society. In addition to celebrating among peers, the EEA helps to publicize the many significant contributions consulting engineers make to the built environment throughout the world.
Goldman Copeland’s web-based geothermal pre-screening tool was created for the City of New York’s Design & Development Corporation (DDC) and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.
This technology analyzes the feasibility of geothermal heating and cooling for every lot in New York City. It provides users with a map of the entire city and assembles extensive data, highlighting potential feasible sites. The tool is useful for the development of new building structures planning to make use of the available geothermal capacity.
“The opportunity to conduct this complex engineering study on behalf of the city of New York was a welcome challenge and we have managed to create an extremely useful geothermal tool,” said Charles Copeland, President of Goldman Copeland. “The NYC geology, dense population and high-rise buildings limit its applicability in some boroughs but the methodology will allow engineers throughout New York State and the country to apply these innovative techniques to their own cities and communities,” he added.
Developed by calculating geothermal ground capacity and potential energy consumption of 850,000 lots in all five boroughs in New York City, and 25 possible building configurations based on vintage, size, and occupancy, Goldman Copeland’s study evaluated three different types of geothermal systems: closed loop, standing column well, and open loop. A point grid method helped determine potential well quantity for all lots, and both hydrogeological and geological mapping data was used. This comprehensive data resulted in a useful tool that also takes into consideration the long term thermal impact on the underground geology, a factor that many previous installations have failed to recognize, resulting in excess subsurface temperatures diminishing cooling capabilities, causing systems to require supplementary cooling.
Renewable energy sources, such as geothermal, are a major part of New York City’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions with 80 percent by 2050, based on the levels in 2005. While it was created specifically for New York City, the technology has the capacity to be applied to locations across the nation, helping other regions build a sustainable future. It is not only intended for building owners, engineers and other professionals, but will also allow homeowners to assess a lot’s geothermal feasibility and potentially empower everyone in NYC and beyond to make smarter and greener energy decisions.
The tool is scheduled to go online for New York City later in 2018.
