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1. Geothermal heat pumps, or ground-source heat pumps, for heating and cooling buildings are a rapidly growing example of a geothermal direct use application. The technology has developed almost without publicity in recent years to become a significant new factor in the supply equation. This is an electrically-based technology that allows high efficiency, reversible, water-source heat pumps to be installed in buildings in most geographical and geological locations (worldwide).

The combination of increasing levels of electrical generation efficiency, with the impressive energy amplification of geothermal heat pumps means that space heating can be delivered with effective efficiencies that exceed 100%. The "additional" energy is supplied from the ground. In addition these systems also offer highly efficient cooling. The types of buildings that are using ground-source heating and cooling in this manner range from small utility or public housing, through to very large (MW-sized) institutional or commercial buildings. This technology can offer up to 40% reductions in CO2 emissions against competing

technologies. If all of the electricity is supplied from non-fossil sources, there are no CO2 emissions associated with heating and cooling a building.

2. Recently, several large-scale arrays have been installed to feed larger systems where suitable supplies of deep geothermal water are not available. In the largest development to date, 4000 units – each with its own borehole – have been established on a US Army base in Louisiana to provide heating and cooling.

The concept was developed independently in the US and Europe and, although Sweden and Switzerland have installed many thousands of units to provide winter heating in houses, the pace of installation in the USA and Canada during the last fifteen years has overtaken the European rate. There are now believed to be well over a quarter of a million installations in place in North America.

3. While the main activity is currently in the USA, there are a growing number of installations in Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Smaller numbers are being installed in other European countries, and in Australia. The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium currently has over 750 institutional, corporate and commercial members, and 40 international members from countries including Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, Finland, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK.

4. Ground-source heat pumps are perhaps the first indication of the seventh age of geothermal technology, breaking the final barrier of geographical availability.

To sum up: geothermal technology offers many benefits - clean, indigenous, firm energy - but suffers from economic uncertainties and geographical limitations. These problems are being actively addressed and future prospects seem bright.

Примечания

1. amplification – усиление;

2. exceed – превышают;

3. arrays – структуры;

4. has overtaken – обогнал.

Date: 2016-02-19; view: 526; Нарушение авторских прав