Opportunities and Challenges for Load Management and Resiliency using District-Scale Geothermal Exchange

District-scale Geothermal Heat Exchange (GHX) systems have significant environmental and economic benefits as they use ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) to take advantage of near-constant, year-round, subsurface temperatures (typically 12−16°C) that are stable just a few meters below ground surface. We evaluate the environmental 'costs' and embodied energy (e.g., energy payback time) for constructing a district-scale GHX field with 2,596 152-m-deep GHX borings located in the upper Midwest.