Delivering Low-Carbon Heat at Campus Scale Through Ground Source and Waste Heat Integration

Services Provided

• Risk assessment and project management
• Borehole drilling and ground loop installation

Project details

The institute required a reliable, future-ready heating solution capable of serving a large campus estate, reducing carbon emissions and strengthening long-term energy security.

Key requirements included:

• Decarbonising campus heat demand
• Delivering stable, long-term performance
• Integrating alternative heat sources where viable
• Minimising disruption across an operational academic environment

In addition, the proximity of a data centre presented an opportunity to capture and reuse waste heat that would otherwise be rejected into the atmosphere.

Key Metrics

• 49 boreholes installed
• 250 metres depth per borehole
• Commercial-scale ground array

Project Outcomes

The completed borehole array provides the foundation for a campus-wide ground source heating system, supporting consistent thermal performance across the estate.

• 49 deep boreholes enable stable year-round ground temperatures
• Infrastructure supports integration with recovered data centre heat
• System designed to operate efficiently under peak demand conditions
• Provides a long-term, low-carbon heat source for the campus

This project demonstrates how large-scale ground arrays can support hybrid heating systems, combining geothermal energy with local heat recovery to improve overall system performance.

“With an increasingly volatile energy market, energy security is becoming more of a driver. Projects like this show the value of using local energy sources that would otherwise go to waste. By integrating recovered heat from a nearby data centre alongside a ground array, the system can operate more efficiently while reducing overall energy demand. ”

- Gareth Berry, Onsen

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