Reducing Energy in the Building Sector
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) states that buildings account for 41% of primary energy use in the US. 60% of this energy is used for space heating, cooling and water heating. These numbers reflect the vast use of inefficient building HVAC systems. On the bright side, this also presents the massive opportunity to improve energy consumption through the use of an energy efficient technology, like geothermal heat pumps.

GHPs leverage the constant thermal energy beneath the earth, the energy we already own to deliver space condition (read comfort) to a facility. Regardless of the temperature above ground, the temperature below the subsurface remains relatively constant, because of this, a GHP is much more efficient at bringing temperatures to a comfortable level for building occupants than a traditional HVAC System.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy usage and corresponding emissions by up to 44% compared to conventional systems. An Oak Ridge National Laboratory case study found that GHP systems saved 33-65% in energy use compared with baseline HVAC systems. As illustrated by these two organizations, GHPs are capable of providing ample savings to home and building owners.

Lowering Summer Peaks and Winter Loads
Geothermal Exchange Organization states that a typical 3-ton residential GHP can reduce summer peak electricity demand by approximately 2 kilowatts (kW). This renewable and efficient technology has the unique ability to reduce electricity consumption, without necessarily reducing energy usage.

When properly designed, the energy that GHPs leverage from below ground reduces the amount of electricity needed from our electrical grid. This is especially true during the hottest of summer days. On peak summer days, when temperatures soar, the electrical grid is often strained by increased customer demand, the more homes that use geothermal heating and cooling, the less electricity needed (regardless of temperature), and the less strain on our electrical grid. Talk about a win-win situation for utilities looking to level demand and consumers looking to reduce utility bills.

Geothermal heat pumps offer all kinds of benefits to consumers, businesses, our economy and our environment. With such a large amount of energy used for space heating and cooling, there is massive potential for improvement. Replacing conventional HVAC systems with geothermal heat pump systems would not only reduce utility bills for consumers and lower carbon emissions, it would help to level the increasingly problematic strain on our electrical grid.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative, and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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Space Conditioning Presents Both a Problem and a Solution
Are you aware that building operations make up the majority of energy and carbon emissions associated with this sector? The day-to-day operations of space conditioning (heating, cooling, ventilation) and water heating applications make up 40% of total energy used by buildings. Aha! Here lies the problem and the opportunity to realize an actionable solution. The problem, when it comes to end-use space conditioning, is two-fold:

• Problem #1: We are space conditioning inefficiently and, as a result, consuming more energy.
• Problem #2: We are burning fossil fuels.

Both problems mean buildings not only account for a bigger piece of the pie, but a bigger pie as a whole, even greater than the transportation industry.

Geothermal Heat Pump Systems are a Practical and Actionable Solution
Thankfully, there is already a practical and actionable alternative to minimizing the carbon footprint associated with space conditioning. Geothermal heat pump systems (GHPs) use the thermal capacity of the ground, or the energy under our feet, to provide heating and cooling to a facility. GHPs present the perfect solution to the environmental problems associated with building operations and if we factor in utility involvement it becomes even more practical.

• Solution #1: GHPs are extremely energy efficient, saving up to 30% more energy compared to conventional HVAC systems.
• Solution #2: GHP’s require zero fossil fuel burning.
  When we face the reality that building space conditioning make up a large piece of the energy pie, geothermal technology is a major weapon in the quest for less emissions, a stronger grid and the creation of thousands of jobs for the area.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative, and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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Research initiatives continue to confirm the undeniable benefits of investing in geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems. A recent study, conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), assessed the technical, economic, and market potential of GHP systems in residential and commercial HVAC applications. This 2019 ORNL analysis is a supporting study to a larger DOE initiative called GeoVision – a detailed research effort focused on exploring the vast, untapped potential of geothermal energy in the United States. While GHPs have already proven capable of largely reducing energy use and associated carbon emissions, the adoption rate of these technologies is still surprisingly low. GeoVision and ORNL set out to determine what harnessing the full potential of U.S. geothermal resources would present. What did the results of the report reveal? Geothermal energy offers an overwhelming abundance of economic and environmental opportunities for the U.S.

Enormous Opportunity for Energy Savings and Carbon Emissions Reduction

The results of the ORNL study were extremely promising, highlighting unrealized opportunities in many areas, including: energy savings, carbon emissions reduction, and market advancement.
The assessment, which compared GHP systems with conventional HVAC systems on a variety of factors, reported that retrofitting all existing HVAC systems with GHPs could save:

• 5.7 quads of primary energy annually (a 46% reduction in national primary energy consumption for space heating and space cooling)
• 356.3 million tons of CO2 emissions annually
• $49.8 billion annually

In addition, GeoVision determined that the residential market potential for GHP technologies is equivalent to supplying heating and cooling systems to 28 million US households, which:

• Is 14 times greater than existing installed GHP capacity
• Represents 23% of total residential heating and cooling market share by 2050
• Creates and/or maintains millions of jobs

Geothermal Heat Pumps: The Undeniable Right Choice for Heating and Cooling

Geothermal energy is safe, comfortable, and renewable. Many previous studies have portrayed the capability of GHPs to save energy and reduce harmful emissions. The DOE’s GeoVision and ORNL’s supporting analysis not only confirm this capability, but clearly illustrate the positive impact that geothermal energy could have on the US.

On a smaller scale, GHPs continue to save energy and money for the home and business owners that invest in them. These localized benefits, combined with big-picture economic and environmental potential, make GHPs the undeniable right choice for space heating and cooling. With so much research supporting both the small and large scale advantages of geothermal heat pump systems – how can you say no to Geo?? It’s time to realize the massive benefits that this reliable and renewable energy offers to our families, our country, our world.
John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative, and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

Sources:
ORNL Analysis: https://info.ornl.gov/sites/publications/Files/Pub103860.pdf
GeoVision: https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geovision

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Geothermal Tech Saves Water, Doesn’t Waste It

Water is scarce in Cape Town, South Africa. The world watched raptly as its residents counted the moments (and drops) to Day Zero, when the city’s taps could have run dry. Cape Town has since pushed the deadline back to 2019, but it’s still in the midst of its worst drought in history.

Cape Town isn’t alone. 28 of the fifty United States are suffering from water deprivation as well. The top three American cities that scientists believe could become the next Cape Town and face a crippling drought of drinkable water are Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Miami. Climate change plays a major role in disrupting the water cycle and depriving Americans of potable water.

While authorities look for immediate fixes, advocates of geothermal technology are suggesting that heating, cooling and heating water can be accomplished without wasting any water at all. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) utilize ground loops (High density plastic pipe (HDPE) filled with water) to endlessly recirculate the same heated or cooled water in a closed loop cycle.

In Florida, a test was done on a 150-room hotel, pitting a 300-ton water-cooled chiller against a comparable geothermal heat pump system. The results? The GHP system delivered the same cooling results as the chiller, but with a savings of over 4 million gallons of water annually.

As mean temperatures keep creeping up globally, there’s a risk that the crisis will worsen the lack of drinkable water across the United States and the rest of the world. But a lasting solution should include immediate fixes side by side with viable longer-range climate solutions. One of those initiatives should be a move from fossil fuels to renewable and more efficient technologies for commercial buildings, like geothermal heat pump technology that not only delivers comfort but saves dramatic amounts of water in the process.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative, and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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No Matter Where You
Are, You’re Standing on It

Looking up information on geothermal heat pump technology use results in some unexpected epiphanies, the first of which is the fast pace of global acceptance for geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems.

But first, the basics: A geothermal heat pump system uses the thermal energy in the ground (the “Energy Beneath Your feet”.) to deliver heating and cooling and water heating to the facility. Geothermal heat pump systems are energy efficient, renewable, reduce emissions, increase comfort and dramatically reduce energy bills.

In the US, it’s possible to call and order a geothermal installation from any state, including Alaska and Hawaii.

That’s the second epiphany: if this technology is available just underneath everyone’s feet, you should be able to use it even in the most remote corners of the world.

You can experience geothermal Technology at work anywhere in North America, where there’s a growing infrastructure of professionals, trained by the International Ground Source Heat Pm Association (IGSHPA) who can design, install and service GHP systems throughout the country.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative, and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

#heat pump #geothermal energy #energy independence #economic prosperity #environmental stability #HVAC #space conditioning #GHPs #renewable

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Cape Town isn’t alone.Twenty-eight of the Fifty States are suffering from water deprivation as well. The top three American cities that scientists believe could become the next Cape Town and face a crippling drought of drinkable water are Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Miami.  Climate change plays a major role in disrupting the water cycle and depriving Americans of potable water.

While authorities look for immediate fixes, advocates of geothermal technology are suggesting that heating, cooling, and heating water can be accomplished without wasting any water at all. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) utilize ground loops (High-density plastic pipe (HDPE) filled with water) to endlessly recirculate the same heated or cooled water in a closed loop cycle.

In Florida, a test was done on a 150-room hotel, pitting a 300-ton water-cooled chiller against a comparable geothermal heat pump system. The results? The GHP system delivered the same cooling results as the chiller, but with a savings of over 4 million gallons of water annually.

As mean temperatures keep creeping up globally, there’s a risk that the crisis will worsen the lack of drinkable water across the United States and the rest of the world. But a lasting solution should include immediate fixes side by side with viable longer-range climate solutions. One of those initiatives should be a move from fossil fuels to renewable and more efficient technologies for commercial buildings, like geothermal heat pump technology that not only delivers comfort but saves dramatic amounts of water in the process.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

The post WHAT THIRD-WORLD CITY IS ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF DRINKABLE WATER? LOS ANGELES. Geothermal Tech Saves Water, Doesn’t Waste It appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.

The winning argument pointed out that a geothermal ground loop is a  type of renewable, one that doesn’t need the wind to blow or the sun to shine. The geothermal ground loop has a lifecycle of 50-100 years and works 24/7/366 (it doesn’t take Leap Day off).

With the recognition of the geothermal ground loop as a renewable asset in the states mentioned and the reestablishment of the investment Tax credit, using GHP technology is a smart financial choice.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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So if 25 students are in a classroom, adding 10 computers makes the room as uncomfortably warm as adding 35 bodies. And this discomfort has a dramatic negative impact on the students’ learning abilities. The average age of a K-12 school in the US is 47 years old, and it’s a good bet that parts or all of the school’s HVAC system originally came with the building.

The solution? Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) systems would increase the comfort level while reducing the cost of energy for the school. Take these examples:

Philadelphia High School compared operating cost estimates between a conventional and a geothermal HVAC system for their 90,000 square feet over a 20-year cycle. Here’s what made up their minds:

Operating Cost/yr:

 Conventional HVAC:  $237, 286

Geothermal HVAC:    $55.478

Savings:                     76.6%

Maintenance Cost/yr:       

 Conventional:            $28,000

Geothermal:               $9,000

Savings:                     68.8%

For the American Water Buck School Project, one of the largest private water companies in the US teamed up with FHP/Bosch to develop a state of the art geothermal pilot project. The chosen site was Long Island’s Buck Elementary School, built in 1957. The geothermal heat pumps use water from American Water as their medium. The system is currently delivering year-round comfort and has enabled the school to use their facility throughout the summer. Best of all, the GHP system has reduced their overall energy use by 30k BTUs per square foot and saved the school over $6,000.

The Bard College Alumni Houses are a collection of 11 residence halls in the center of the campus. The oldest of the Alumni Houses date all the way back to 1987. Each one houses between 19 and 21 students.  All of the buildings are heated and cooled with geothermal heat pump technology.

Using the GHP systems, along with other energy-saving practices, has lowered energy costs at the school by over $100,000 annually, and provided peak summer demand savings of 450 kW while reducing CO2 emissions by over 400 tons.

Bard College’s commitment to installing geothermal systems among the measures taken has significantly reduced its energy costs and made for a healthier, more comfortable college environment.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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