Geothermal Energy Heating

Industry Growth for Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Industry and consumers alike are taking advantage of government rebate and incentive schemes and reaping the rewards of geothermal heating and cooling.

Geothermal heating and cooling is gaining rapid momentum as an environmentally friendly and cost effective form of energy use.

Governments, industry and consumers have recognised the inherent cost savings and environmental benefits in this burgeoning industry.

Geothermal heating and cooling first originated in the 1940s as a means of heating and cooling an environment. Since then its applications have been used in small and large scale operations even being used to provide heating for whole towns in Iceland.

Government rebate schemes and incentives for individuals and industry alike have seen a number of companies develop to take advantage of this thriving new energy industry.

Geothermal heating and cooling involves the transfer of heat that is stored beneath the earth’s surface into a heat pump for the direct use of heating or cooling an area.

Heat is stored in the earth on a variety of different depths and levels. The earth absorbs almost 50 per cent of all solar energy. Just under the surface the underground temperature stays relatively constant all year between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius.

Ground temperature in winter is much warmer than the air temperature and in summer it is much cooler. Geothermal heating systems benefit from needing to transfer the heat only a few degrees in either direction in comparison to air conditioners which may have to change the temperature of the source air by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.

There is an inherent saving in electrical generation costs as well as environmental costs. Geothermal heating and cooling can save as much as 60 per cent in electricity bills.

There are four main types of geothermal heating and cooling systems. The two main types are horizontal and vertical loop systems.

Horizontal loop systems involve an area of piping 50 metres long being buried to a depth of 1m to obtain the heat from the earth. This is cheaper to install and can be used in areas where there is an available land mass.

A vertical loop system plunges piping to a depth of between 50 and 100 metres to utilise space and obtain access to higher temperatures.

Over 1.5 million geothermal heat pumps are installed worldwide with this figure likely to increase dramatically as governments offer incentives to industry and consumers in an effort to fulfil renewable energy targets by 2020.

Geothermal heating and cooling has been recognised as the most environmentally clean and efficient alternative energy by the United Sates Environmental Protection Agency.