Geothermal Digest » Geo-Exchange

Geo-exchange system overtaxed

admin — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 21:17:15 +0000

In Delaware, a state-of-the-art, green building built four years ago in Sussex County to house the Emergency Operations Center could not take the 100 degree heat it experienced a week ago. The Center houses millions of dollars of computers, radios and dispatch consoles all giving off heat of their own. And even with a geothermal system, air conditioners run around the clock, 365 days a year. Groundwater used to operate the system ranged from 60 to 70 degrees when it was built. However, the water in the 24, 600-foot-deep wells is ranging from 80 to 85 degrees and has spiked to 95 degrees.

New police buildings to feature geo-exchange system

admin — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:48:43 +0000

In Pennsylvania, the 16 modular units that will make up the new Pennridge Regional Police Department headquarters will arrive mid-June. And drilling for the geo-exchange heating and cooling system will start soon as well. The department will be getting a $4,774 rebate from PPL Electric Utilities for installing the system.

Tulsa development will get geothermal heat source

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 01:19:57 +0000

In Oklahoma, the the Brady Arts and Greenwood Districts in Tulsa are getting a $110.5 million facelift that includes $8 million to convert a former parking lot into a park, complete with a geothermal field. “The Park on Brady” will be an urban green space with gardens, a pavilion, stage, fountain and cafe. The drilling of 120, 500-foot wells at the site has begun. Jim Bose of the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association offered and interesting description of the field, saying “You can think of these well fields out here as a big battery. We’re putting energy in, we’re taking energy out. And we always have the sun replenishing it. So it’s like having some big electric charger in the background on this battery.”

Town needs loan to create geothermal heating district

admin — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:57:05 +0000

In Oregon, the town of Lakeview is looking to borrow $3.7 million to develop a geothermal heating district intended to heat the town’s schools and hospital. The Lakeview Town Council has given staff permission to approach the U.S. Department of Agricultural Rural Development program for the loan. The town wants to drill a new well at the Barry well site south of Lakeview. Previous studies have shown that the existing well has enough capacity for the Lakeview schools and the Lake District Hospital.

Railroad Museum to get geo-exchange system

admin — Sun, 15 May 2011 16:45:46 +0000

In Pennsylvania, the Railroad Museum in Strasburg is getting a new geothermal heating a cooling system as part of a state-funded $6 million renovation. Temperature swings in the large Rolling Stock Hall to go from 20 degrees in the winter to 90 degrees in the summer to a 60- to 80 degree range. Some 125 wells are being drilled currently 500 to 600 feet into the ground around the museum. An insulated roof with sky lights is also part of the project.

Seoul’s new city hall getting geo-exchange system

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:26:15 +0000

In South Korea, Seoul’s new city hall building will be equipped with geothermal warming and cooling systems to reduce energy consumption. The facility has been under construction in front of Seoul Plaza since September 2009. The new building will get over 45% of its total energy from the ground, saving about $77,380 and reducing 228 tons of greenhouse gas a year.

Residents sue to access geothermal installation records

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:30:53 +0000

In Iowa, unsuccessful attempts by residents to access school construction records has sparked a lawsuit invoking the Iowa Open Records Act. One of the plaintiffs has been unable to view requested district construction records regarding a 2005 geothermal heating and cooling system project at a regional high school. He began his attempts after witnessing drainage problems after the geothermal project was completed and wondered why the district was paying to correct the problem. A second plaintiff joined in after equally unsuccessful attempts to get more information about the replacement of a gym floor at one of the schools.

DOE and HUD list lenders for homeowners in new pilot program

admin — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:10:16 +0000

In Washington, D.C., U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the lenders that will participate in a new two-year pilot program that will offer qualified borrowers living in certain parts of the country low-cost loans to make energy-saving improvements to their homes. Backed by the Federal Housing Administration, the PowerSaver loans will offer homeowners up to $25,000 to make energy-efficient improvements of their choice, including the installation of insulation, duct sealing, replacement doors and windows, HVAC systems, water heaters, solar panels, and geothermal systems. Eighteen national, regional and local lenders will participate.

Geo-exchange proposed to keep Heathrow runways open

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:54:41 +0000

In England, British Airports Authority (BAA) is reportedly looking into adopting geothermal technology for Heathrow airport following a winter where crippling ice caused the cancellation of some 4,000 flights in December. Steven Morgan, BAA’s capital projects director, told Building magazine: “We are working on a concept to capture geothermal energy from the surface of the tarmac … during the summer, to then provide a heating capability so the stands don’t freeze in the winter. We would store the energy underground and use it to gently heat water that would then be run through pipes in freezing conditions to warm the stands, which are the slabs of concrete directly beneath the planes, to just above zero.”

Google program helps design Eco-friendly home

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:21:03 +0000

In Tennessee, a Fairview couple used the 3D modeling program Google Sketchup to draw up plans for their home, which lives entirely on renewable energy. The program is offered free by Google. If they ran into problems, Sketchup user groups were available with answers. The resulting home includes heating and cooling provided by a geothermal system and electricity from solar panels. The home also uses water from ponds and year-round springs, has south facing windows and extra thick exterior walls.