Geothermal Heat Pump Utilization in Beijing

Abstract

Beijing is a city with a population of 17 million. The needs for space heating and cooling are ever increasing, with the fast expansion of construction and improvement of living conditions. The government is paying great attention to adjusting the energy structure, promoting the use of renewable energy and energy saving. In the area of Beijing, there are very good conditions for the utilization of shallow geothermal resources. Firstly, it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter in Beijing, and the heating and cooling needs are equally great. Secondly, the sediment of the Quaternary System in the Beijing plain is suitable for installation of GHP systems, either open loop systems or closed loop systems. The first two GHP systems were put into operation in the summer of 2000. After that, the GHP utilization developed rapidly. There have been about 600 such systems and the service area has been around 13 million m2 till the end of 2008. GHP systems are economically viable. In addition, the environmental effects of GHP systems are also remarkable. From 2000 to 2008, the total amount of energy saving through the use of GHP systems in Beijing is estimated as 3.23×1010MJ, accounting for the heat of 1.84×106 tons of coal and 4.38×106 tons of CO2 emission reduction.