How can we benefit from Geothermal Heating and Cooling schemes?
Did you know that geothermal warming and air conditioning schemes are gathering popularity, and on very good grounds.
Geothermal heating pumps are not a newfangled notion – they have been around since the 1940’s – but with the advancement of the green movement, more and more people are becoming aware of this effective technology.
Nesjavellir Power Plant, Iceland
This is how it functions, plus a few of its benefits.
All day long, year in year out; our planet soaks up energy from the sun and stores it.
This is the reason the temperature beneath the planet’s surface is comparatively constant.
Beneath the frost line, there is more warmth in the winter and in the summer, it’s colder underground.
Geothermal warming and cooling schemes make use of this sun-to-earth power.
The two primary types of Geothermal heating and cooling schemes are: closed loop and open loop.
The two are based in the principle of the heat pump.
An open loop scheme in reality taps into ground water which is, comparable to the earth underground, at a reasonably invariable temperature.
The water is pumped-up into the geothermal heat pump where it is warmed, distributed through the house, and then brought back to the earth or utilized in other ways throughout the house.
Since the ground water temperature is hotter than the cool, exterior air, the heat-pump doesn’t have to operate too hard to warm the water.
Closed loop schemes distribute water and anti-freeze via a closed network of pipes.
The network of pipes are positioned underground, starting and finihing at the heat-pump in the dwelling’s basement.
While the fluid in the pipes circulates underground, it gets warmed or cooled by the pump, depending on which season of the year we are in.
Geothermal Power Station thematic
Schematics of a Geothermal Power Station
- Hot water reservoir
- Hot water from the Earth
- Electrical power generation (with generator)
- The generated electricity is fed into the network
- Thereafter the rest of the hot water can still be used for heating purposes
- Thermal energy can be reused
- Cold water is fed back to the cycle to be reheated by the Earth
Some Key Benefits
There are numerous benefits to geothermal heating and cooling schemes.
Some examples:
- Lower demands on electricity as less is used in the generation of warm or cool air with geothermal schemes.
- Electricity necessitates fossil fuels to be produced.
- Geothermal heating cuts back the need of such fuels.
- Lower electricity bills.
- Geothermal schemes can help save energy and water, because the heated water created in an open-loop scheme can be utilized in assorted household applications.
- Geothermal schemes are more comfortable as there is less variation in interior temperatures.
- There are no unsightly, over-ground elements that make noise and can be an eyesore.
- The geothermal scheme is below ground and in the dwelling’s basement
- There are no toxic emissions produced by geothermal schemes.
There is a tremendous amount of versatility with these schemes.
You can customize a system for virtually any type of home or building.
So, how do you get started?
That will be answered in a later article.
In the meantime if you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to share on ‘geothermal heating and cooling‘ please do so in the comments box and please click the share button, many thanks.