Low-temperature geothermal systems consist of closed-loop boreholes with depths ranging from 100 to 250 meters, including heat pumps and indoor heating units such as ceiling panels or fan coil units. The geothermal boreholes comprise pipes installed in the ground using specialized drilling equipment, connected together to form a common geothermal collector.
For example, a 2,000 square meter building would require 2,000 linear meters of boreholes, divided into 20 boreholes at 100 meters depth each. At a depth of 100 meters, the ground temperature remains constant, typically between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius, which is converted into heating and cooling by heat pumps. The circulating fluid in the closed-loop geothermal system is a mixture of water and a minimal amount of antifreeze. These systems do not utilize groundwater.
When cooling the building, the ground temperature of 12 to 15 degrees Celsius is sufficient to provide air conditioning in “free cooling” mode—also known as passive or cost-free cooling—when ceiling panels are included in the system design.
A ground-source heat pump is a renewable heating and cooling system that extracts low-temperature energy stored in the ground using buried pipelines and compresses this energy to a higher temperature. A ground-source heat pump provides the building with 100% of its heating, cooling, and hot water throughout the year.
Air-source heat pumps use thermal energy from the air to "pump" heat at a higher temperature into a building. The efficiency of an air-source heat pump varies depending on the season and time of day. They can be particularly problematic during winter because when you need heating the most, the air—their energy source—is coldest, and the unit will require more electricity to operate efficiently.
The true efficiency of air-source heat pumps can be difficult to establish. Their performance under test conditions is usually based on an input temperature of 7°C, which is not realistic as air temperature varies. On the other hand, ground-source heat pumps are tested for performance at an input temperature of 0°C—representing real climatic conditions.
The ground can maintain temperatures of 10-12°C throughout the year, which means the average ground temperature in winter will always be significantly warmer than the average air temperature. As a result, the source temperature for a ground-source heat pump on the coldest day can be up to 15°C warmer than the cold air entering an air-source heat pump.
This means there are no unexpected peaks in electricity consumption, as the ground-source heat pump does not have to work as hard to upgrade the source energy into usable heat for space heating and hot water—making it more efficient for heating and hot water systems.
Unlike air-source pumps, a ground-source heat pump also offers efficiency in terms of operating time. Using smart controls and time-of-use tariffs, a ground-source heat pump can participate in load shifting, where electricity consumption time can be shifted to low-cost or low-carbon hours.
Air-source heat pumps tend to last only about 10 years due to their exposure to external elements. In fact, there are some locations where air-source is not recommended at all, such as near the coast, where saltwater mist causes internal components to rust and stop functioning.
The ground source is a closed system installed safely inside the property, protecting the asset from environmental damage and, unlike air sources, avoiding the risk of theft. The unit itself requires very little maintenance and has a design life of 20 years, while the ground loop array connected to it is completely invisible and can last over 100 years.
3 to 5 times lower operating costscompared to gas, central district heating, or others. Calculating the internal installation for ceiling panels and fan coil units at 37°C/32°C gives the building a system efficiency of COP = 5.5 to 6.0. For every 1 kW of electricity consumed = 6 kW of thermal energy.
Directly supports the total annual budget as an expense item for heating and air conditioning for public buildings.
Automatic control and real-time information, without the need for human resources.
Independence from raw material supplies for combustion (Central district heating, gas, wood, pellets, chips, diesel, etc.).
Geothermal heat pumps operate on electricity electricity with an efficiency COP of 1 to 5.1 with fan coil units and 1 to 6 with ceiling panels.
Does not depend on external weather conditions, unlike "Aerothermy" (air-to-water heat pumps).
Geothermal energy guarantees the required temperature in the premises without changing the system's efficiency, even during sharp temperature drops below -15°C.
Does not depend on the presence of water – Hydrothermy (water-to-water heat pumps), nor on the availability of necessary flow rate, chemical composition, or microbiology. Water extraction for Hydrothermy requires a permit regime, whereas Geothermal energy is under a notification regime. Hydrothermy has additional consumption and a need for borehole pumps, which reduces its efficiency. Hydrothermy cannot be used everywhere, unlike Geothermal energy.
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