This would seem to me to be the ultimate in reliable, clean energy. Estimates have potential output in the US at 100GWe in the US alone by 2050. Individual sites may cool down, but the Earth itself isn’t going to be cooling for a VERY long time! So there will always be a source of heat for this power-for the foreseeable future.
So why aren’t we hearing more about this? Why does it seem to be pushed aside, other than because the oil companies want it to?
you are absolutely right there it is the true clean ,non-polluting source of energy which will not deplete resources and does not have to be replaced. Provided planers can tap the thermal outlets without too much expense it would surely seem to be the way forward
You can use geothermal heating and cooling for your house as well.
Its a great “green Building” technique where you drill a few hundred feet down into the earth and run water coils down in the holes and fill up the hole again.
Because the earth stays at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit at that depth, it can take care of cooling your home in the summer and warming your home in the winter. All you have to do is move air accross the water coils.
Combine this with shaft walls and floor mounted air diffusers where the air ducts run underground as well, then you have a very sustainable heating and cooling system for your home. It may be a little expensive to set up, but your energy bills will be cut drasticaly.
Have you got any ideas of the cost of using this for home use? I can imagine that it’s not particularly cheap, but say if you planned to stay put for at least 25 years, are you likely to make a saving in the long run or not?
I know you’ve got the warm fuzzy feeling of using an essentially renewable energy source, but at the end of the day we know what would really motivate people to make more use of this.
Well you are looking at about a 20% increase in the initial up-front cost of the home.
If your home design utilizes an efficient exterior envelope then you can actually make that money back in the first year because it can decrease your energy cost by 60%.
When I talk about efficient envelopes I am referring to energy efficient materials and methods used as the home exterior; Like the shaft wall I talked about above, or rammed earth, hay bale construction, concrete, etc…
Here is a little diagram which shows how geothermal heating works:
Thats what makes this system so darn great…
There are not negative environmental effects. Unless you consider the equipment that you have to rent for a day to bore the hole, which will probably run on desiel. But whats one day of running a desiel engine when you compair it to how much pollution this type of system will cut down in the long run.
About system failure, I honestly dont think that the system will fail under the ground, simply because you fill the holes back up with dirt which puts a constant peasure on the pipes. This preasure will keep the pipes from bursting.
I’m sure the condenser part is just like any other mechanical system (AC or Heater) and will require some maintenance and may at some point wil break and it will have to be repaired, but thats nothing new with any HVAC system.
I think the main reason is what you stated earlier. The oil companies would lose money if people started to rely on geothermal energy for their homes. Natural gas and electric has been able to raise their prices regularly on the premise of “supply and demand”. Hvae you noticed just how much oil is a barrell now? Stock holders are making a killing off of it.
I never knew that you could heat an entire home on it. I don’t think it has ever been mentioned when most people are considering building one either. If more people were aware of it some might choose to try it.
well, help us spread the word and invite as many people as you can to get involved in these disscussions.
On earth day April 22, I will put the new http://www.NeutralExistence.com website online, which will have a huge amount of information about green building, energy saving, emission reduction and much more.
Not only that but in a few weeks I will open the Social Networking Site to the public. This will be a free service where environmentalist can get connected and make a change.
To think when I posted about geothermal energy, that I thought it’s use was so limited! This is amazing, to think what could be done.
I cannot see this working for an existing building however, but for new houses, it is a wonderful thought that they could be one step closer to being self sustaining.
yea well to do this to an existing building would be quite a renovation. It would require alot of land and or a lake, but it could be done.
Probably wouldnt be too cost effective, so most owners wouldnt go for it.
But for a new house, geothermal heat pump combined with a little wind or solar power and you have a carbnon neutral, zero emission home. Then all you need is an electric car and your carbon neutral.
Would the under ground parts be underneath the house, or to the side of it? I guess I am really asking-would they have to rip out the foundations of the house for this? That really would make this infeasible for all but the extreme.
Geothermal heating for homes seems like a good solution instead of using fuels to heat them. I wish something like this would take over as the standard way of doing things.
This is the first I have ever heard of this method of heating and cooling a home. It does seem cost effective with no harmful effects on the environment. I’m sure more people would like to hear about this method that could be used to offset the cost of electricity.
