Department of Energy
Collegiate Geothermal Competition
We are the Parlor City Geothermal team, a group of five highly motivated students from two SUNY campuses in Broome County. We come from diverse backgrounds both academically and professionally, creating a strong and multidisciplinary team. Our vision is to create a proposal for a community direct use geothermal project at SUNY Broome that could be replicated on college campuses throughout New York State. As Binghamton residents, we understand the importance of a sense of place to a community, as well as the history and utility of the area. For that reason, we have selected SUNY Broome, a center of learning and innovation. The campus is located close to several important community resources. Together we will come up with a project proposal that includes site selection assessments, real data from the site, projected usages, and stakeholder engagement strategies to bring to life our vision for geothermal energy in New York State.
Meet The Team
Eleanore Colton
I am an Environmental Policy major at Binghamton University. My interest is in clean energy policy and I will be pursuing my MS next year in Sustainable Communities.
Benjamin Eckstein
I am currently going into my final year of my dual degree in Sustainable Communities and Public Administration. My areas of study include energy management and Urban Sustainability.
COTRINA ALFARO, Jhon Roger.
Hola! I am a Systems Engineer from Caxamarca-Peru, where the Incas built current-use geothermal systems. Master in Science in Sustainable Communities c/Nonprofit Management (Class 2021).
Cameron O'Connor
I am an Environmental Studies and Pre-Law double major at Binghamton University. I am currently finishing my first year in the
Sustainable Communities Masters Program.
Joshua Sember
I am studying engineering at SUNY Broome. I returned to school after 6 years of working as a technician in IT and I pan on transferring to Clarkson to study chemical engineering.
Why ParlorCityGEO?
Clean energy is the future. Did you know that just 10 feet below your feet the ground stays at a pretty much constant temperature, year round?
Geothermal energy is a currently underutilized resource. It can be used to create electricity, heat, cooling, and can even be used directly for things like bathing, washing clothes and dishes, etc. Parlor City Geo seeks to educate and inspire our community to learn about the benefits of geothermal energy. We believe that in many settings, including college campuses and commercial settings community geothermal energy has enormous potential for saving money and moving New York away from fossil fuels.