Geothermal gets cautious buy-in from Grand Rapids commissioner

GRAND RAPIDS Despite one officials skepticism about the value of geothermal heating and cooling, the city will install the alternative energy systems at two of its fire stations.

The $274,000 project at the Leonard Street and Kalamazoo Avenue stations will be funded mostly by federal stimulus money, with $74,000 coming from the Grand Rapids Fire Department. The geothermal system, which extracts and pumps heat from underground, is expected to reduce energy costs and pay back the city's upfront expense in 7.5 years.

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Still, the payback is much longer when considering the full public investment in the systems.

My job is to be a Grand Rapids (advocate), so if in fact there are federal dollars we need to look at that payback and make an intelligent decision, First Ward City Commissioner Walt Gutowski said. Thats scary, though. You get all this subsidy and its still a 7.5-year payback. Its concerning for me that the technology has so far to go, yet.

They say geothermal is the cats meow, but (from a business perspective) its like buying renewable energy. I dont quite get that one either.

City engineer Mark DeClercq said a 2010 energy audit recommended geothermal systems for five Grand Rapids fire stations: Burton, Franklin, Kalamazoo, Leonard and Plainfield. But the fire department cannot afford to install systems in all five stations, and the stations at 1755 Leonard St. NE and 2541 Kalamazoo Ave. SE are most in need of new systems, he said.

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Allied Mechanical Services, Inc. is the contractor and GMB is the engineer. Gutowski said theres no way Id be supporting it without the federal funding.

That needs to be replaced anyway, said Haris Alibasic, director of the citys energy and sustainability office. Though a geothermal system costs more up front, after 8 years you have electricity almost free on site, he said.

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Geothermal gets cautious buy-in from Grand Rapids commissioner