Geothermal Heating Use Slowly Gaining Popularity
The use and deployment of geothermal heating technology is quietly gaining strength. Although alternative energy technologies such as solar and wind appear to be more popular, the use of geothermal heating as an alternative energy source is quietly gaining momentum. The system is versatile and can be used for both heating and cooling, and the numbers of installations are growing by the thousands.
According to recent reports, several countries are emphasizing the use of geothermal heating applications in a number of national energy policies to promote the use of renewable energy resources in order to curbing the emission of greenhouse gases. The main component in the geo-exchange system is the heat exchanger. These devices are used to transfer heat from a warmer location, which are seen as the source, to cooler places, which are called the sink. The heat is transferred via plastic tubes that are filled with ethanol. The loops are placed are placed at least two metres under the ground.
Geo thermal heating technology has been proven to be an effective technology. During the colder months, the ground contains the heat supplied from the sun, and the sink to which the heat is to be transferred is inside the building to be heated. In the summer months, the reverse happen as the building is now warmer and becomes the source, while heat accumulates in the underground sink. The ethanol is used as the transfer fluid for its heat absorbency.
It is a simple and efficient transfer system that requires a bit of electricity, but almost 60% of the heat transferred comes from the free source, which is the ground. This makes geo-exchange systems much more efficient the best natural gas and oil furnaces. The technology was introduced almost thirty years ago, but little economic sense as fossil fuels were still relatively inexpensive, and only started to gain momentum about 10 years ago as energy prices continued to rise.
There are now about 80000 heat pumps installations in the US annually; the governments of several countries in Europe are offering rebates to induce more installations. Because prices of fossils fuels such as natural are still relatively low, it appears that the long-term benefits are not yet fully appreciated.
Perhaps the main deterrent is that the financial benefits are not yet fully appreciated as the systems are not yet inexpensive enough for mass adoption. But the environmental benefits are fully realized as there is no depletion of non-renewable resources and a much lower carbon footprint.
Developers are slowly beginning to see the long-term environmental and financial benefits of the technology and are hoping that the market can continue to grow with more government involvement, as banks and financial institutions are not yet particularly warm to the technology, partly because they do not fully understand it.
Some studies have indicated that there are several countries that would benefit from being converted to total use of geothermal heating. Support and backing for geothermal programs appears to be move at much faster rates outside of the U.S., where has been limited support in the areas of research and development, despite the enormous potential.
Geothermal heating has proven to be a cost effective technology with many benefits. Mass adoption of geothermal heating technology is slowly growing as the environmental and longer term financial benefits become better appreciated.
According to recent reports, several countries are emphasizing the use of geothermal heating applications in a number of national energy policies to promote the use of renewable energy resources in order to curbing the emission of greenhouse gases. The main component in the geo-exchange system is the heat exchanger. These devices are used to transfer heat from a warmer location, which are seen as the source, to cooler places, which are called the sink. The heat is transferred via plastic tubes that are filled with ethanol. The loops are placed are placed at least two metres under the ground.
Geo thermal heating technology has been proven to be an effective technology. During the colder months, the ground contains the heat supplied from the sun, and the sink to which the heat is to be transferred is inside the building to be heated. In the summer months, the reverse happen as the building is now warmer and becomes the source, while heat accumulates in the underground sink. The ethanol is used as the transfer fluid for its heat absorbency.
It is a simple and efficient transfer system that requires a bit of electricity, but almost 60% of the heat transferred comes from the free source, which is the ground. This makes geo-exchange systems much more efficient the best natural gas and oil furnaces. The technology was introduced almost thirty years ago, but little economic sense as fossil fuels were still relatively inexpensive, and only started to gain momentum about 10 years ago as energy prices continued to rise.
There are now about 80000 heat pumps installations in the US annually; the governments of several countries in Europe are offering rebates to induce more installations. Because prices of fossils fuels such as natural are still relatively low, it appears that the long-term benefits are not yet fully appreciated.
Perhaps the main deterrent is that the financial benefits are not yet fully appreciated as the systems are not yet inexpensive enough for mass adoption. But the environmental benefits are fully realized as there is no depletion of non-renewable resources and a much lower carbon footprint.
Developers are slowly beginning to see the long-term environmental and financial benefits of the technology and are hoping that the market can continue to grow with more government involvement, as banks and financial institutions are not yet particularly warm to the technology, partly because they do not fully understand it.
Some studies have indicated that there are several countries that would benefit from being converted to total use of geothermal heating. Support and backing for geothermal programs appears to be move at much faster rates outside of the U.S., where has been limited support in the areas of research and development, despite the enormous potential.
Geothermal heating has proven to be a cost effective technology with many benefits. Mass adoption of geothermal heating technology is slowly growing as the environmental and longer term financial benefits become better appreciated.