Ground Source Heat Pumps - Geothermal Energy for Anyone, Anywhere: Current Worldwide Activity

Abstract

At WGC 1995 in Florence a paper was presented that brought to the attention of the worldwide geothermal community the increasing activity in geothermal heat pumps. With increasing pressures for reductions in building energy consumption and rising targets for reductions in CO2 emissions from buildings, the drivers for installing geothermal heat pumps are all going in the right direction. An increasing number of countries - some of them not traditionally associated with conventional geothermal activity, now have vigorous geothermal heat pump programmes. Other countries are exploring the potential of these systems. From small domestic installations in social housing to multi megawatt systems and all sizes in between - geothermal heat pumps are on the increase. Ten years on this paper assesses current progress in the development and installation of these high efficiency, long lived, low carbon, renewable energy systems.