Geothermal Heat Pumps
»The geothermal heat pump is a highly efficient renewable energy technology for both residential and commercial buildings. Geothermal heat pumps are used for home/building heating as well as water heating. The geothermal heat pump takes advantage of this by transferring heat stored in the Earth or in ground water into a building. There are 4 main geothermal heat pump systems:
1. Horizontal geothermal loops are often considered when adequate land surface is available.
2. Vertical geothermal loops are the ideal when available land surface is limited. Drilling equipment is used to bore small-diameter holes from depths of 60m to 120m.
3. Pond (lake) geothermal loops are very economical to install when a body of water is available, because excavation costs are virtually eliminated. Coils of pipe are simply placed on the bottom of the pond or lake.
4. Open geothermal loop systems utilise ground water as a direct energy source.
