GEOTHERMAL PILOT PROJECT FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN CRETE
With this article we want to highlight the benefits of Geothermal utilization on tourism sector in island of Crete and beyond.Mr. Serhat Ünaldi originally from Germany decided to establish a prototype Boutique hotel, energy fully autonomous based on the development of sustainable tourism in South Rethymno. The hotel will implement a closed loop Geothermal system which will fully cover the building’s Heating-Cooling loads as well as part of the Hot Water needs.The climate prevailing in the area is characterized by hot with very strong winds. Geothermal energy as a renewable energy source takes advantage of the constant temperature of the subsoil offering an annual energy saving of 50% compared to an Air source heat pump. Also, the Geothermal heat pump during the cooling operation, recovering the heat loads before disposing of them underground, helps in the production of Domestic Hot Water. Thus, in combination with Photovoltaics, they transform the building
April 22 World Earth Day (Geo-Thermal)
On the occasion of World Earth Day, we are discovering Geothermal, and more specifically, Shallow Geothermal, which is the most efficient and environmentally friendly method for Heating & Cooling buildings available in the world today. The Earth has the ability to maintain a constant temperature inside it for the first 100 meters depth at least. This temperature is equal with the average annually temperature of the area and is not affected by external conditions (eg extremely hot or frost). Thus, a building applying Geothermy draws heat from the Earth during the winter season, while during the summer season it rejects its thermal loads to the Earth. In this way, the Earth offers us its warmth in the winter season, while in the summer season it cools us by absorbing the heat of our building!! So we must take advantage of what the Earth offers us and change the way we
Geothermal System: For Heating & Cooling with unaffected aesthetic & quietly!
Geothermal System offer us heating/cooling as well as DHW (Domestic Hot Water) production using Geothermal Heat Pump technology. The Geothermal Heat Pumps use the ground (closed loop systems) or underground aquifer (open loop systems) as a heat source. The ground and underground aquifer are located underground and the extraction of heat is achieved through the closed Earthing loop, i.e. the Geoexchanger (closed loop system) or through underground water pumping networks (open loop system). Aesthetics The Geothermal system does not have any part of the equipment outside the building (eg pipes, cables, Heat Pump). Thus, the aesthetics of the building is noticeably improved, highlighting its architecture. A typical example is that in some applications of Air Source Heat Pumps, the heat pump is covered with a box, so as to affect less the aesthetics of the building. This also dramatically reduces the performance of the Pump as its source is air.
Shallow Geothermal System and how applied on Heating and Cooling of Buildings
The shallow geothermal system is a Renewable Energy Source (RES) that utilizes the constant temperature of the subsoil. Ιnside the Earth the temperature remains constant starting at 1.5 m depth and for the first 100 m. This temperature is kept constant throughout the year and is not affected by external conditions (e.g. heat or frost). In Greece this temperature is 17-20OC. Geothermal system can therefore offer us heating and cooling using the technology of Heat Pumps. Where the Heat Pump is the machine that draws heat from a source in the case of Geothermal, this source is the ground and then by consuming electricity, it offers us Heating, Cooling and Hot Water Generation. How does Geothermal applied in a building? The application of a Geothermal system consists of two different parts as shown in the image below (the distribution network is not included, e.g. Underfloor, FANCOIL, AC, etc.) In the
Implementation of a closed vertical geothermal system with 100 boreholes
Our company participated in the construction of closed loop geothermal system with verticalplacement of Geoexchanger for the energy upgrade of the Indoor Gymnasium.Project description: The Ground Source Heat Pump system (Geothermal) will cover the needs of the building inHeating/Cooling and Hot Water generation. Read more about what Geothermal Systems are at the link below: What are Geothermal Systems
Thermal Response Test (TRT)
Thermal Response Test (TRT) represents a method of evaluating the thermal properties of the subsoil, the most important of which are: Thermal Response Test Equipment There are two modes of operation of the equipment in the thermal response test to shed or extract heat from or to the borehole heat exchanger under test. This is accomplished by circulating a fluid through the borehole that is warmer during the injection process and cooler during the extraction process than the surrounding soil. The image below shows a classic equipment layout (TRT). Operating principle Thermal Response Test First of all , the undisturbed soil temperature is determined, by recording the temperature at the surface of the borehole or by evaluating the temperature of the liquid circulating in the geoexchanger before activating the cooling or heating. The term thermal response is defined as the measured change in the average temperature of the inlet and
Insulation- Ground Source Heat Pump – Photovoltaic system
In this article we will describe the relationship between a building’s insulation with Heating-Cooling system, and how this relationship affects the size and cost, of the PV system. These are three different technologies where the right combination of them can turn a building into an energy safe one. To find the right combination, we just need to understand what each one offers us separately: 1. Insulation: it is the external cladding of the building that determines the resistance that its external envelope presents to the transfer of heat from and to its interior. What does insulation offer us? The Heating and Cooling loads of the building are reduced and in this way the size and cost of the geothermal system is reduced which is important if one considers that the number of required boreholes is less. 2.Ground Source Heat Pump : it is the Heating and Cooling system which draws
Geothermy: The Earth offers us Heating and Cooling with savings of up to 75%
With energy prices rising, we are all looking for ways to upgrade of our buildings in order to reduce heating and cooling costs. Is a geothermal system the solution to the problem? Geothermal is a Renewable Energy Source (RES) and exploits the energy stored inside the Earth. A shallow geothermal system uses geothermal (GSHP/GWHP) heat pump technology and for every 1Kwh consumed by a geothermal heat pump the Earth returns 4Kwh for heating or cooling and hot water production. This translates into a system efficiency of 400% and thus the heating-cooling system of a building is converted into a renewable energy source. Performance comparison with other heating-cooling systems Type Performance Mode Oil Boiler 85% Only Heating Gas Boiler 100% Only Heating Air Source Heat Pump 150-300% Heating-Cooling Ground Source Heat Pump & Ground Water Heat pump 400% Heating-Cooling How does a geothermal system as a Renewable Energy Source play the
Geothermal: The Heating-Cooling system with the greatest value! But why ;
“You get what you pay for” The geothermal system is considered the leading heating and cooling system available in the world to date. The question is whether it is worth the cost to install it. To answer this question, we must first ask ourselves: What features make Geothermal System being considered the leading heating and cooling system? Features: So one can easily conclude that the cost of a geothermal system is proportional to its value and what it offers to its user. Therefore when we talk about geothermal energy and its cost, we have to take into account all the elements and not just the initial installation cost. For example if one does the math and takes into account the installation, operation and maintenance costs based on 15years for both geothermal and air source heat pump then one will come to the conclusion that Geothermal costs less. So, with energy
Geothermy & Business financing program in Greece
Photovoltaic (PV) (RES) Electricity generation Geothermal System (RES) Heating/Cooling/DHW Financial tools Direct Financing Subsidy from the “Exoikonomo-Epicheiro” program 40-50%Indirect FinancingOver-depreciation Law 200% for energy efficiency investments Such investments (for tax purposes) are over-depreciated by 100%+100%=200%. This reduces taxable profits, and therefore the tax paid by the businessZero Energy consumptionUtilizing the above financial tools, your hotel turns into a building with Nearly zero Energy consumption (NZEB)!!! Χρηματοδοτικά εργαλεία Άμεση ΧρηματοδότησηΕπιδότηση από το πρόγραμμα Εξοικονομώ-Επιχειρώ 40-50%Έμμεση ΧρηματοδότησηΝόμος Υπερ-αποσβέσεων 200% για επενδύσεις σε ενεργειακή απόδοση. Οι επενδύσεις αυτές (για φορολογικούς σκοπούς) υπερ-αποσβένονται με 100%+100%=200%. Αυτό μειώνει τα φορολογητέα κέρδη, άρα το φόρο που καταβάλει η επιχείρηση.Mηδενική κατανάλωση ενέργειαςΑξιοποιώντας τα παραπάνω χρηματοδοτικά εργαλεία το ξενοδοχείο σας μετατρέπεται σε κτίριο με σχεδόν μηδενική κατανάλωση ενέργειας (NZEB)!! Why Geothermy? Reduction in the required installed Power of the PhotovoltaicIt reduces the size and thus the cost of the Photovoltaic system (PV) system (up to 40%) as the