NewsToUse

Through a unique video contest sponsored by Western Farmers Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma, high school students are learning about geothermal heating and cooling while educating the public about the technology. Students are competing for $60,000 in scholarship money by creating 3-4 minute videos that explain 7 key elements of geothermal heating and cooling. After an initial round of voting that included nearly 50 entries, five finalists remain. Learn more here to watch the videos and vote. Voting ends April 19.

It’s a common hurdle each geothermal heat pump (GHP) system has to overcome to make a sale – geo costs more.  But what if it didn’t? Then we’d have a whole new ball game! To make that happen, though, technological breakthroughs are essential, especially with the ground loop component – the part that represents most of the added cost of a geo system. Fortunately, ground loop innovation is alive and well and perhaps a market breakthrough will arise soon. For example, now there is a new loop field piping configuration called “The Twister.” The manufacturer claims that this product can reduce the cost of installing a geothermal loop field by 20% and reduce the amount of drilling by 30%. Another product, the GeoColumn, is a plug-n-play module 28” wide by 20’ long that inserts directly into the ground with all the heat exchange elements already in place. Whether these innovations transform the market remain to be seen, but any advancements that can simplify the loop field installation process and lower the cost will be a huge step forward for the GHP industry. 

Michael Hillesheim is the newest addition to the CoGEHPA Board of Directors, bringing his perspectives as a Senior Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden. Michael is excited to serve the association, building on good experiences he enjoyed interacting with other members at CoGEHPA seminars. Terry Proffer and Ramon Teran were re-elected to the Board and all three will begin a three year term. Get to know your Directors. Board meetings are held the first Thursday of every month and members have a standing invitation to attend. 

For anyone who needs a broad spectrum resource that covers almost all aspects of a geothermal heat pump system, from geology to controls, you’d be well advised to obtain a copy of "Understanding Geothermal Systems." The 200+ page book draws on author Jeff Peterson’s 30 years of field experience to cover GHP systems and controls from their introduction in the early 1970s to the multistage, ultra high efficiency systems of today. The book is oriented to real world examples and will help you identify common installation and service mistakes and how to avoid them. The City of New York has recently updated its “Geothermal Heat Pump Manual” which uses the NYC experience as a hands-on guide for urban project managers and consulting engineers who are considering commercial geothermal systems to reduce energy costs.

Using a combination of onsite renewable energy production and energy efficient building materials and lighting, Walgreens is building what could be the nation’s first net zero retail store as a testing ground for incorporating such features into their other 8,000 stores nationwide. Located in Evanston, IL, the store will use geothermal heat pumps, 800 solar panels and two wind turbines to provide its renewable power and heating needs.  With company headquarters in nearby Deerfield, the store will give engineers a convenient opportunity to measure the building’s energy performance and evaluate how well it achieves net zero goals. Article.

PowerSaver is a FHA/HUD backed financing program that authorized contractors can offer to their residential customers. It provides low interest loans for up to $25,000 and terms up to 20 years. PowerSaver Plus adds an even higher loan limit up to $45,000. Contractors who enroll in the PowerSaver program also get sales and marketing benefits including lead generation/referral tools, brochures, flyers and web pages.There is no cost to the contractor and just a 1% closing fee for the home owner. Owner occupied, single family homes and HUD approved condos are eligible for geo, solar, HVAC, windows, doors, insulation and water heaters. Plus, 25% of the loan can be used for any home improvement. Help your customers get the financing they need to goGeoNow! Learn more.

Along with leaders from the solar thermal and biomass industries, CoGEHPA president Joel Poppert has helped draft the Colorado Renewable Thermal Standard (RTS), a bill which will be introduced in the 2013 legislative session. If passed, the bill will be a game changer for igniting GHP market growth in Colorado. The RTS will add proven thermal technologies, including geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), into Colorado’s renewable energy portfolio, which to date only addresses renewable electricity generation. Since we use more energy to heat and cool our buildings than we do to create electricity, the RTS makes sense in tapping renewable thermal energy to create jobs, reduce fossil fuel use and increase our energy security. The primary goal of the RTS is to provide rebates for GHPs and other thermal renewable systems installed over a 12-15 year period. 

The RTS is projected to produce $10 million in annual rebates for the owners of GHP systems, and the rebates are designed to offset 25-30% of the total cost of the system, leading to an estimated $40-60 million in annual GHP sales in Colorado. In addition, the RTS establishes sensible guidelines for qualifying systems and their installers to insure that our industry is protected from bad installs that only set our industry back. Because the bill has such strong potential to accelerate growth of the Colorado GHP market the national Geothermal Exchange Organization is providing financial support to aid CoGEHPA in this ground breaking effort.

Doug Dougherty, President/CEO of the Geothermal Exchange Organization, has written an article with useful perspectives on geo as a renewable energy source that offers significant value to utilities and the environment. More and more, governments are including thermal energy into their Renewable Energy Portfolios. The article includes a number of interesting reader comments. Read article and commentary.