Geothermal Heating

A group of concerned scientists from the fields of geology and physics as well as the newly formed fields of ecology, public policy studies and thermodynamics got together in the 1980s and decided to form a organization that would serve to disseminate information about the incredible potential of wide-scale deployment of distributed geothermal heat pump technology. Since that time, non-profit group called the Geothermal Heath Pump Consortium (GHPC) has been offering advice, supporting research and assisting homeowners in locating qualified contractors.

The focus at the GHPC is upon the use of water or other liquids being pumped through long lengths of pipe in an effort to heat or cool them to the ambient temperature of the Earth, usually 45-50F (8-10C), year-round. This can provide significant home heat savings for the majority of North Americans. To this end, there is a wealth of information that is maintained there, with links to current research as well as basic primers of how it all works.

Today, the GHPC partners with the US Department of Energy in disseminating helpful information about geothermal heat in all its many and varied forms, though they generally fall into one of two forms: passive and active. Active pumping, in this case, does not include industrial power generation using superheated steam, but may include the pumping of warm or hot water into the house, just as if it had not been actively heated.

Such systems that use water warmed above the ambient temperature of the Earth can be adapted to a great many uses, including hot water for the home, or even heating greenhouses and atriums with the hot pipes. In fact, this use is very commonly seen in horticultural operations that include the propagation of plants by seed or cuttings, and has been employed for hundreds of years by enterprising horticulturalists.

The folks at the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium do not actually do any installation work themselves. Instead they keep a list of contractors and engineers that have training with these systems. Anyone can access their website at http://www.geoexchange.org/ and find out a great deal more about historical, current and future uses of this powerful technology. There is also a valuable section detailing the tax incentives offered by each state for installing "renewable" resource collection such as geothermal heat pumps.

The list of members includes people who have been pioneers in the field, here in the United States and around the world as well as those who have recently come to the realization that geothermal heat pump exchange has the ability to make a significant dent in North American dependence on energy sources of foreign origin, whether that be coal, oil or uranium.

Geothermal Heating |