Large-Scale Thermal Energy Network Systems in New Jersey: Feasibility, Marketability, Benefits, and Costs
Executive Summary
The Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR) undertook this study on behalf of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) in alignment with legislation directing the NJBPU to conduct a study on the feasibility, marketability, benefits, and costs of implementing large-scale geothermal heat pump systems in the state (P.L. 2023, c.328).
Study Purpose
The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility, marketability, benefits, and costs of implementing large-scale geothermal heat pump systems, defined as systems in which multiple buildings with interconnected geothermal heat pumps are served by an underground geothermal wellfield and/or sources of waste heat that are connected to a shared horizontal loop operating at low/ambient temperatures, otherwise known as thermal energy networks, or TENs. The study describes barriers that impact the feasibility of scaling large-scale geothermal, or TENs, in New Jersey and provides recommendations for mitigating these, including pilot programs, financial incentives, legislative, executive, and other actions. Throughout this report, the terms “large-scale geothermal” and “TENs” are used interchangeably.