The capitol commission began a massive geothermal project beneath the west lawn of the capitol to upgrade and modernize the structures heating and cooling system.
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Dale G. Young | The Detroit News
Michigan Capitol going green with geothermal
By Jonathan Oosting | The Detroit News
August 15, 2017
Lansing – The Michigan Capitol is going “green and clean” with a new geothermal heating and cooling system that officials say will be the largest of its kind at a state government building in the country.
Drilling for the 500-foot-deep geothermal field is set to start later this year as part of a larger $70 million infrastructure upgrade already underway at the 138-year-old Capitol. While it will cost nearly $4 million upfront, officials estimate geothermal will save the state $300,000 a year on heating and cooling costs and pay for itself in roughly a decade.
It will mean “utility independence, cost savings and clean, green energy,” said Tim Bowlin, chief financial officer and project manager for the Michigan Capitol Commission. “The wells have a 50-year guarantee, but we’re anticipating 100-plus years.”
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224 individual bores are being driven. It will take two years.