Heating and cooling systems that are used to regulate the
temperature in our buildings are responsible for approximately 15% of global
carbon emissions. This percentage is likely to increase because of the extreme
weather conditions because of climate change.
One alternative to the typical HVAC systems that could reduce these emissions is the geothermal heat pump. Because the temperature of the earth 30 feet below the ground remains constant year-round, these heat pumps can use this to its benefit, by simply moving heat from one place to another. Long pipes that are filled with water or antifreeze are installed underground and during the winter the liquid in the pipes can transfer the heat underground into homes, and in the summer the pump will do the opposite – extracting heat from homes and pumping it underground.
Thermodynamically speaking, one of the ways that the
efficiency of these heating and cooling systems is measured is through the
Coefficient of Performance (COP). The COP is measured by dividing the heat
output of the system by its electrical energy input. A ground source geothermal
heat pump has a COP ranging from 3-5, often depending on the geographic location
in which it was installed. Producing a COP from 3-5 means that the pump outputs
3-5 times more heat output than the electrical energy input that it takes to
produce.
A major downside of these pumps is the cost that it takes to
install. But due to the low operating costs, low maintenance, and long life
compared to typical HVAC systems, they more than pay themselves off after a few
years of installation.
Geothermal heat pumps installed on a mass scale could eliminate
approximately seven
gigatons of carbon. Because these pumps can be installed in new as well as
existing infrastructure, this push for large scale installation is very feasible
and could be conducted with proper funding. Government involvements will be
required to make this change, because although these systems are extremely efficient,
they are not being utilized nearly as much as we need to make a difference, making
up less than 1%
in the electric market and 7% in heating and cooling. The US Department of
Energy states that by 2050, 28 million geothermal heat pumps can be installed, making
up approximately 25% of the heating and cooling market.
Although these costs deter
Seven gigatons of carbon is a wild statistic, I hope we can widely implement this solution. I remember reading in Nomad Century that air conditioning will become a necessary luxury that must operate efficiently in the coming years. Even places in Europe that never thought to invest in it must start facing the music. It is worrisome and scary that the ways to combat climate change heating the globe is emitting more carbon to cool ourselves down.
ReplyDeleteGeothermal heat pumps present a promising solution to reduce carbon emissions from heating and cooling systems, leveraging the earth's stable underground temperature to achieve high efficiency with a Coefficient of Performance
ReplyDeleteThey're an interesting step that could be taken to make the life of the average first-world person less impactful on the climate. This, along with solar panels (that are cheaper than they ever have been), could be incredibly helpful. I just wonder if there will ever be any sort of initiative to implement stuff like this in urban areas.
ReplyDeleteThis is never something i have heard of but you made a lot of great points! We have to make changes where we can in order to come out ahead. The governments never wants to pay the extra cost now to get ahead, they only pay when they have to after a storm or something big.
ReplyDeleteI;ve heard of geothermal energy before but never really understood how the science behind it worked so I really enjoyed the graphics you provided. This sounds like a great investment that city planners should consider and if Nomad Century is correct that we will likely need to build massive new cities to accommodate for climate migration there could be many opportunities to invest in these systems.
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining in more detail how geothermal energy works. I really enjoyed the graphics, which showed the demonstration and breakdown of the energy. Geothermal energy sounds like a highly useful and accurate new way to save energy and combat climate change and global warming.
ReplyDeleteI had no clue about all these intricacies with Geothermal heating! I had heard the phrase but never truly understood it, but this post explains it extremely well. It is incredible how much more efficient it is then prevailing carbon-heavy heating systems. I am curious however, with the rising temperatures, do you think this method could face a loss of efficiency?
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this idea before it was very well researched and the idea behind changing how we heat and cool our houses is a massive change i wonder how many people would be willing to try this?
ReplyDeleteConsidering the significant potential of geothermal heat pumps to reduce carbon emissions, what collaborative efforts between governments, private sectors, and communities do you believe are essential to overcome the high initial installation costs and promote widespread adoption?
ReplyDeleteI had no clue how much geothermal heating could actually help carbon emissions. While I knew about geothermal heating, I knew next to nothing about how it worked prior to this post. I would love to see more buildings being built with this!
ReplyDeleteI had actually never heard of geothermal heat pumps before. This concept seems really interesting and worth more consideration. Anything that could reduce carbon emissions is worth the extra effort and exploration.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that geothermal heat pumps can produce heating and cooling is a more efficient form of HVAC. I appreciate the explanation of Coefficient of Performance COP! I was unaware of this term before, and I think it will be important to understand.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting alternative to providing heating and cooling energy sustainably. Despite the costs of installation, once each home is saving a significant amount of energy I believe the economic return will show dramatically.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly the kind of change that we can make on a broad scale, especially with some government support like tax breaks. The problem is that utilities and fossil fuel companies make money from burning gas in furnaces and those utilities and companies have powerful lobbyists. We must become more politically active, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a really cool system. I have never personally heard of this. I love that you wrote about this, it gives great insight into different forms of energy.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a geothermal system in a future home. Shame they're currently so cost-prohibitive and currently have limited servicing available. I also wonder about the temperature range at which it's effective. Are there temps that are too cold or too hot for it and cause it to break down quicker?
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of geothermal heat pumps, so thank you for shedding some light on this topic. This is a fantastic idea to help come back climate change, but it is really saddening to know that because of the cost we will not be able to properly execute this plan. With the government a.k.a. Trump focus being to save money in the financial side of things I do not see this being a part of his plan for the country unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting solution to learn about, I hope that these pipe systems can be implemented sooner rather than later. It would be massive to be able to eliminate 7 gigatons of carbon
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting read! The fact that geothermal heat pumps could eliminate around 7 gigatons of carbon is a huge deal. Hopefully, with more governmental support and funding, these systems could become more widespread.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of geothermal heat pumps, but unfortunately I don't think that is something a lot of people can do. Hopefully we can find other alternatives than HVAC systems to reduce the carbon emissions below 15%.
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