36 APRIL 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Sustainable Demonstration Center Adapted from Information by the U.S. Department of Energy Through the partnership of Leon County Government in Florida and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the Leon County Extension program provides the community with access to critical knowledge in agriculture, natural resources, and life sciences. Leon County Government identified the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension office as an opportunity to use the 1962 cinderblock structure as a demonstration building to educate the community about multiple sustainable energy systems. A team from Leon County Government and consultants began to identify sustainable energy projects to minimize peak energy demand and lower utility costs in the building, including a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, lighting retrofit, thermostat setbacks, and a geothermal heat pump (GHP) system. The program received funding for the project from Leon County Government, as well as grants, such as $178,000 in state-allocated federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The system took six weeks to complete, which included a closed-loop geothermal borefield with 60 vertical wells around 90 feet deep with three individual loop zones for resiliency. If one loop needs repairs, the other two will continue to operate. The borefield is also used as an educational event parking overflow that remains pervious to rainwater. Eight geothermal heat pumps replaced nine traditional air conditioning condensers allowing the system to remove or recover heat, depending on the season. The building features an educational kitchen for visitors to learn about food safety and staff to prepare food for lowincome/fixed-budget families, as well as meals for attendees at youth summer camps. Recovered waste heat from the GHP system supplies this kitchen with hot water. The GHP system only supplies about 50% of the 13,000-square-foot building’s conditioned air. The separate HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems influenced the decision to allocate the GHP system to about 50% of the building; a traditional natural gas HVAC system serves the other half. The onsite solar PV system offsets the remaining electricity consumption to maintain net-zero energy goals. The system has 40% energy savings compared to a traditional HVAC system and requires about onetenth of the maintenance costs. In addition, the geothermal borefield has virtually zero maintenance except for an annual fluid test. “The building continues to operate as a net-zero facility even as we’ve doubled the number of staff people that occupy the site. The geothermal system has been a key part of infrastructure allowing the building to stand up to evolving demands,” said Maggie Theriot, Director of the Office of Resource Stewardship. GEO Student visitors learn how the stable ground temperature can offset energy costs through geothermal. Photos courtesy of Leon County Government. Time for a Little Fun! March Puzzle Solution: 1. LARGE 2. LOOSE 3. DRILL 4. CAMEL 5. LIGHT 6. LASSO 7. VOWEL 8. STALL Using the modified phone diagram, determine the correct letter for each corresponding number to reveal a sentence about this month. Win a prize! Send completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 fax: 850-547-0329 or e-mail: michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 9 WXYZ 6 MNO 3 DEF 8 TUV 5 JKL 2 ABC 7 PQRS 4 GHI 1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 7 7 4 5 4 7 8 4 3 8 4 6 3 8 6 8 8 7 6 6 8 3 7 2 6 3 9 5 3 2 3 Congratulations to: Kari Rosche, Eberhardt Kari Rosche, Eberhardt Plumbing & Heating in Adell, WI ~ Winner for March!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=