CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS IN TURKEY

Abstract

Ground-source or geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) are attractive alternative to conventional heating and cooling systems owing to their higher energy utilization efficiency. In this regard, GHPs have had the largest growth since 1995, almost 59% or 9.7 annually in the United States and Europe. The installed capacity is 6,850 MWt and annual energy use is 23,214 TJ/yr in 26 countries. The actual number of installed units is around 500,000. The utilization of GHPs in residential buildings is new in Turkey, although they have been in use for years in developed countries. In other words, GHPs have been put on the Turkish market for about three years. There are no Turkish GHPs' manufacturers yet. It is estimated that 43 units are presently installed in Turkey, representing a total capacity of 527 kW. Considering the ongoing installations, the total installed capacity will reach 3,763 kW in this year, with a total of 282 units. The majority of the installations are in the Marmara region of Turkey (in Istanbul). High-income earners also prefer these systems. In the present study, first, energy outlook of Turkey is presented. Next, the weather data for the country are given. The current status of GHPs in Turkey is then treated. In this regard, the two case studies are described, of which the first one relates to the University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey while the second one includes a commercial application, which replaced a furnace. Finally, the results are discussed.