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

The post Recent Study Illustrates the Enormous Potential of Geothermal, ‘America’s Untapped Energy Giant’ appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.

While our schools serve as vital hubs for our towns, they must be maintained year round. This includes supplying the mandatory utilities and upgrading where necessary. But are these upgrades meeting the needs of the buildings and the occupants?

Social Studies 101
The National Center for Education Statistics reported that approximately 50 million students attended public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in 2017. And these school districts employed about 3.2 million teachers. Regardless of the location of any of these schools, they required a sufficient level of climate control to promote an effective learning/teaching environment.
Schools in the United States average 42 years old, and in every school, we’ve installed computers. But we’ve never done anything about the buildings except for maybe changing lights. When you add a computer to the classroom you’re essentially adding another body because the internal heat of the computer is equivalent to another body. The overall comfort level for the occupants has been reduced.

Science 101
Geothermal Heat Pump systems (GHPs) offer a practical solution to improving space conditioning (heating and air conditioning) and water heating to facilities like schools. The technology uses the earth’s thermal properties in conjunction with electricity to provide “comfort’ to the school facility. We can essentially use the “energy under our feet,” the energy we already own, to deliver space conditioning to institutional facilities throughout the United States.

Mathematics 101
In 2017, expenses for K-12 school buildings and renovations totaled $13 billion. 59.6% was dedicated to new buildings while 40.4% covered renovations. New, or renovations to, heating and air conditioning accounted for 48%, which meant school districts spent billions of dollars installing conventional technology that was invented 50 to 60 years ago in schools that are brand new.

The US DOE states that 36% of all the primary usage of energy in the United States comes from buildings, and 40% of that energy comes from heating and air conditioning and water heating. In order to reduce our carbon footprint, we need to adopt alternative sources for heating and cooling. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) installing the GHP system can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40% over traditional HVAC systems.

GHPs also provide a renewable thermal asset that lasts 50 to 100 years. So, unlike solar, everything is inside or underground. The ground loops maintain a stable temperature and are protected from the elements, supporting the system 24 hours a day, 365 days a year whether the wind blows or the sun shines.

Making the Grade
Even though we pay a lot of attention to upgrading the technology in our schools, we need to recognize the fact that to enable someone to learn, their comfort level is extremely important. GHP technology saves energy and reduces emissions. Plus, it reduces heating and cooling energy costs by 40%. By improving the space conditioning in our schools, we improve comfort levels and increase the ability for students to learn and teachers to teach. Together we can invest in the future.

Jack DiEnna is the Executive Director and Founder of the Geothermal National & International Initiative (GEO-NII). He is a business development and marketing professional with over forty years’ combined experience in the electric utility industry and the renewable energy industry.

The post GHP and the Schools appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.

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

The post WHAT THIRD-WORLD CITY IS ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF DRINKABLE WATER? LOS ANGELES appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.

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

The post GEOTHERMAL TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.

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

The post Renewable? That’s Do-able! No Wind or Sunshine Needed for Geothermal Energy appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.

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

The post Renewable? That’s Do-able! No Wind or Sunshine Needed for Geothermal Technology appeared first on GEO-NII - Geothermal Heat Pump.