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Macalester seeks state grant for aquifer‑based geothermal student housing and campus decarbonization
Summary
Macalester College told the committee it seeks roughly $2.5 million in state funds to support an aquifer‑based geothermal system that would heat and cool a new student residence, cut campus emissions and free rental units in a dense neighborhood.
Representative Herr presented House File 2912, a request that the committee lay over a bill seeking state support for an aquifer‑based geothermal heating and cooling system to serve a new Macalester College residence and future campus expansion.
The proposal requests state funds to help build an innovative deep‑aquifer geothermal system paired with solar and high‑performance building design. Macalester representatives said the project would be the first urban college campus geothermal system in Minnesota of its kind and would serve as a living laboratory for combined energy solutions.
Macalester’s AVP of Facilities, Nathan Leaf, told the committee the system uses a deep aquifer so it can provide 100% geothermal heating and cooling for the new building with a relatively small site footprint. Energy modeling cited by the college estimated the new building would be about 40% more efficient than current code and could save roughly 1.2 million kilowatt‑hours per year, equivalent to about $150,000–$190,000 in annual energy savings under current assumptions; Macalester estimated a payback on the combined measures of roughly 20 years.
College representatives said over $2 million in private fundraising has been committed, and the project team is also pursuing congressional directed spending and grants. They told the committee drilling for geothermal wells must occur before vertical construction on the building to accommodate the limited site footprint.
Formal action: Representative Herr moved to lay over House File 2912; the motion carried and the bill was laid over for further consideration. Witnesses said the college intends to begin drilling in the coming construction season and will seek additional financing (private fundraising, MNCIFA, and congressional directed spending) if state support is not secured.
